The Roots of Love
by MissedTheLastTrainHome
Summary: A fanfiction following the ups and downs of Cornelia and Caleb's relationship, as W.I.T.C.H. and the Rebels battle against Phobos.
1. Attacked

**The Roots of Love  
**

Cornelia/Caleb

**Rated: T**

**Chapter One**

**Cornelia's POV  
**

_"Are you definitely sure? If you just wait another 40 minutes, my Mom will be back from Dean's and she can give you a lift home? Corny?"_

_I smiled. How kind and generous Will is. As we stood in her garden, I looked into the familiar redhead's eyes and saw concern._

_"Will! Stop fretting! I'll be fine. I have 18 blocks to walk. I'm fine with that! Honestly, I need to get home before 11, or I'll be in major trouble!"_

_Will totally wasn't reassured. Still, she reached over and hugged me forcefully. _

_"Thanks for coming, Cornelia. It means so much."_

_"No problem! Will, you're unhappy, and I won't stand back and watch you just get unhappier! You're my best friend. No boy - not Matt, not anyone - will get away with making you sad."_

_Will managed to smile. I grinned too. _

_"Oh jeez, Corn. You're such a babe! What would I do without you?" she said, gratefully.  
_

_"Hm...how about nothing?" I replied, with a wink. _

_We laughed, and I began to walk out of her garden. _

_"Be careful!" Will called._

_"I will be! I'm gonna ring Caleb to pass the time anyway. It's so exciting now that he knows how to use a phone!"

* * *

_

_Okay, so maybe I was ever-so-slightly lying to Will. I was worried when I was walking for 18 blocks in Heatherfield to my apartment in the pitch black night. However, I discarded the butterflies in my stomach as soon as I dialled Caleb's number._

_"Hello?" His sexy voice filled my ears._

_"Hey Caleb!" I said, smiling as the words left my mouth._

_"Cornelia. What are you ringing for at this time? I just came back from the Tavern with Aldarn and Vathek."_

_"I'm walking back from Will's house. I swear she's having a breakdown. It's Matt - she told him that she loved him and now he won't answer her calls, IM's, texts...she even tried to approach him at school but he avoided her!"_

_"Man...why would he do that? That's low."_

_"I know...so anyway, what's going down in Meridian? Phobos still wielding his inflated, tyranny-filled ego around?"_

_"Pretty much. We had an attack planned to raid the backstore of the Palace's grain, but unfortunately Phobos has secured the back gate with extra guards. It's getting harder and harder to find ways into that damned place!"_

_I sighed. Caleb worked so hard for his villagers!_

_"You'll find a way, Caleb. You always do. You're so...perfect like that."_

_"I wish I was perfect, Cornelia. Like you. You're the perfect one. Another reason why I love you."_

_I smiled to myself. How did I deserve Caleb? I didn't. He was far too beautiful, honest, talented, intelligent and generous._

_I shivered._

_"Are you cold?" He asked, worry evident in his tone. "Wait a sec, you said you were walking? At this time?"_

_"Calm down...it's fine, it's not like there's real danger."_

_"Yes there is! How far is it until your house?"_

_"...14 blocks."_

_"What? Right, I'm coming to get you. I'll take Blunk's tooth thing and make a portal."_

_"Fine...if you're that set on coming, I don't really mind. I'm at Grovestone. It's a load of streets...whoa, hold on a minute -"_

_I froze. A group of five men were headed towards me. I slowed down. What I hadn't mentioned to Caleb, of course, was that Grovestone is single-handedly the roughest place in Heatherfield. I kept my head down._

_"Cornelia? Cornelia! What is it?" Caleb called down the phone._

_"5 men. They're headed towards me. They're grinning and laughing. Oh my god. They're staring at me. Help."

* * *

_

**Caleb's POV**

_"5 men. They're headed towards me. They're grinning and laughing. Oh my god. They're staring at me. Help."_

_I froze. Cornelia was in danger. I ran and shrugged my coat on, phone still pressed to my ear._

_"Cornelia, keep calm, baby. Just keep cool, okay?" I reassured, even though I myself was about to "crap my pants" as the Heatherfielders say..._

_Then I heard the voices._

_"Mmm! What do we have here? Pretty little girls like you shouldn't be out at this time!"_

_"Y'alright Blondie? Fancy coming back to mine for a couple of hours with the lads?" _

_"Yeah, c'mon babes, if you do as you're told, you'll have a whale of a time..."_

_"No thankyou. I'm fine, and I'm going home now." Cornelia - the only familiar voice - said. _

_I was seething. Perverts. I had to get to Heatherfield. Now._

_I left my room at the top of the Infinite City stairwell and sprinted down a nearby staircase._

_"Don't think so, fitty. You're coming with us."_

_"DON'T TOUCH HER! TOUCH HER AND YOU DIE! I SWEAR DOWN!" I screamed down the phone, startling some of the passing rebels._

_I could hear Cornelia squirming. _

_"Let go of me!" she screamed._

_"Lay a finger on her and you'll wish you were never born!"_

_I heard scrabbling noises, then the worst came._

_It sounded like applause, however, it was accompanied by screams._

_Piercing screams. Heart-wrenching, piercing screams._

_It was an attack. Kicks, punches, slaps and... _

_ ...Cornelia's screams._

_

* * *

_

_Next chapter: Will and Caleb unite to save Cornelia. Will they succeed?_

_x  
_


	2. Hope For A Heartbeat

**The Roots of Love**

**Chapter 2 - Hope for a Heartbeat**

**Will's POV**

_"How long did you think I would keep quiet? You're not the only one here with a mouth. How long do you plan to keep taunting me? Sooner or later I would just throw you ! That's gonna be a site to behold. I really wanna see you stumble, scream and shout. I'm not even listening to you speak anymore. I'm done with your game now- have no doubt!" I sang elatedly along to the radio, which was blasting Karmilla, as I dressed. Cornelia had left about twenty minutes ago, and I had jumped into the shower soon after. Cornelia had given me a lot of direction and advice earlier concerning the Matt situation – making me feel so much better. So now, I was singing loudly, drowning away my unhappiness. I slipped on some underwear (making a mental note to myself to get some sexy bra's, sports bra's were doing my head in!) and pulled out a pair of frog-themed pj's. However, just as I slipped the tank top on and yanked up the cute, cotton shorts, my phone rang._

_"Hello?" I said, warily. Not many people usually rang me late at night. There was a short pause, then I heard his voice._

_"...W-Will?" _

_It was Caleb – but not the Caleb I knew. Instead of being powerful and upbeat, he sounded positively broken. Desolate. Hurt. _

_"Caleb, what's the matter?" I asked, concerned. _

_"It's Cornelia. She rang me and I was talking to her and I was too late and now I'm lost and it's my entire fault!"_

_"Caleb, slow down. What's happened?" I said, in a perplexed tone._

_"Well, Cornelia had been at yours, right?" he asked._

_"Right." I agreed._

_"She was walking home, and she said she was in Grovestone or somewhere, and she rang me for a chat because she was apparently bored walking home. So we were chatting and then she suddenly stops and says that there's five guys approaching her and they're leering. I hear them talking to her – the dirty perverts – and they start saying she's fit and that they want to do stuff to her. Just before the line went dead I heard her screaming and I could tell they were hurting her..." Caleb explained, choking up. _

_It was like time had stopped. There was a good chance that Cornelia, my best friend, could be badly hurt. I knew that when Caleb said "hurting her" he robably meant attacked, and I dreaded to think what that could lead on to..._

_"So I folded here, but I don't know where I am. I'm next to a fire station-" Caleb stopped. "What am I doing? THE ONLY GIRL I'VE EVER LOVED IS IN SERIOUS DANGER, WILL! I NEED TO HELP HER!" _

_I kickstarted into gear._

_"Tell me where you are, Caleb. I'm coming."_

_"There's a fire station and I can see a skate park just ahead and there's some small houses and a takeaway called Persian Palace and there's a road but it's empty and there's - "_

_I cut Caleb off._

_"I got it. You're at Elm Way. I'm leave an astral drop behind, transform and fly over. Give me 5 minutes."_

* * *

**Caleb's POV**

_Will took her time. My mind was going overdrive as I waited for her. My thoughts were filled with one word:_

_Cornelia._

_I kept telling myself to stay strong – this could be nothing. However, I'd left Cornelia nineteen missed calls and eight voicemails within the past half hour. Clearly, she hadn't returned any, which pretty much clarified my worries - she was in trouble._

_When Will arrived, we shared an encouraging hug. She was a mess. Her butterfly wings were fluttering 400 beats per minute. She was burbling about leaving an astral drop and forgetting to tell it what to do, her hair appeared to be wet (I guessed from a shower) and her eyes were cold. I dreaded to think about what I currently looked like. I had cried while waiting for Will, out of sheer desperation, which I guessed wasn't good to look at..._

_"Grovestone is three blocks away. It'll take us fifteen minutes, atleast, to get there, so I suggest we run."_

_And so, we ran. I was stronger than Will, but she was faster, so we kept the same speed. I didn't stop once, I just kept going for what seemed like forever – but was only six minutes. We rounded a corner and Will stopped._

_"Welcome to Grovestone." She said hesitantly._

_I stared around. Where could Cornelia be? There was a massive block of dirty flats infront of us, and four streets were leading off to the left. An off-license was behind us, and several streets were behind it._

_"Split up?" I said anxiously. Will nodded. We ran our separate ways._

_I was senseless. Where was she? I looked in garden after garden, checked the roads, looked around cars. I sighed heavily. I wanted to lie down on the ground and die. She had been missing for 30 minutes yet I was ready to die. I guess that's how strong my love is for the blonde angel. My blonde angel._

_I saw a small alleyway ahead. I decided to check it, hopefully._

_The alley had a paved path leading up the middle, and bushes were on either side of the path. I walked precariously up the path, but suddenly there was large crunch under my foot._

_I looked down, only to see a mobile phone. I picked it up. It was a Blackberry. Cornelia's phone._

_When I realized this, the emotion I felt was unreal. The only way to describe it is when the Olympic Flame reaches the Torc h at the Olympics._

_I immediately looked over in the bushes – and there she was. Cornelia Hale, my blonde angel – lying on the ground, unconscious, covered in dirt, bruised and bloody and missing a great deal of clothes._

_But she was alive. I saw the small rise and fall of her chest, and I could have smiled. Could have, that is – if she wasn't all of the things I said before._

_I ran to her and knelt down._

_"Baby, it's okay, I'm here, and I've got you. I love you." I murmured, wrapping my arms around her cold, tortured body, and lifting her up to my chest, cradling her protectively. I promised to myself quickly never to ever let her go. As I held her, I managed to wrap my thick coat around her, hoping to raise her body temperature and protect her modesty._

_"WILL! WILL!" I yelled. Cornelia didn't even twitch. "WILL!"_

_Will came sprinting around the corner, and I saw her face lighten as she saw Cornelia in my arms._

_"Baby, baby, baby." She whispered, approaching her best friend._

_"Is she?..." Will said tenderly._

_"She's breathing, if that's what you mean. What do we do, Will? Look at her. What. Do. We. Do." Caleb said angrily._

_Will stroked Cornelia's head, her fingers dancing around the scratches and bruises on her face._

_"Well, we have two options. We take her to the Infinite City, and we could put her in your room and we could clean her wounds. Then you could look after her until she's good. Or, we could take her to Candracar, and they could nurse her too, but they would probably be irritating about it and blame us."_

_"So we take her to my chambers?" I asked._

_"Yeah. We do. I'll stay with you until morning, but then I'll have to go to Heatherfield and explain everything to the girls. Although, whenever she wakes up, we need to find out what has happened to her exactly. If it's drastic like...rape or something..." Will choked on the word "rape". I had been dreading to say it too. "...then we'll probably have to go to Candracar."_

_"Or a hospital." I replied, grimly._

_"Don't think like that." Will said, but I knew she had been thinking the same._

_I carried Cornelia effortlessly to the entrance of Grovestone block. Her legs were slathered in mud and had purple bruises across her calves, her arms were scratched, I didn't want to look under the coat, but I knew she would be damaged. _

_Will took hold of Blunk's tooth, sliced the air to create a fold, and we entered Meridian._

_

* * *

_

_Next Chapter: How long will it take for Cornelia to regain consciousness?  
_


	3. Show Your Scars

_**The Roots of Love**_

_A/N: Chapter Three. I've spent many hours of time on this, which should have been spent sleeping. _

**Chapter Three: A Step Towards Recovery**

**_Aldarn's POV._**

_It's not every day you see your best friend (and Rebel Leader) come running through a fold from Earth into the heart of the Infinite City, with the Leader of the Guardians by his side, and what looks like a dead guardian in his arms. _

_I nearly dropped the sack of sand I was carrying when I saw this scene unfold right in front of my eyes. Caleb looked distressed. Extremely distressed. I automatically knew something had happened – clearly concerning the Earth Guardian (the one which he had feelings for, I realized)._

"_Caleb!" I called, running after him. The Keeper of the Heart noticed me, and slowed down._

"_Aldarn! We need you to guard Caleb's bedroom door. Nobody can enter, privacy reasons." She instructed. I nodded. We ran up a flight of stairs after Caleb. _

"_I do not understand though, Guardian of the Heart. What has happened to the other Guardian?" I asked, curiously. The Keeper of the Heart sighed._

"_She was attacked."_

_I gasped. The sincerity in the Guardian's voice meant trouble. I hoped the Earth Guardian would be okay._

_We eventually reached Caleb's chambers. I bowed my head in a sign of peace, as Will slipped inside. I exhaled and stood defensively outside of the door, alone._

**_Caleb's POV_**

_She was cold. No – she was icy. Her body had remained limp through the whole journey. Yet, something inside of me was so content that I had found her and she was alive. I watched her heart rise and fall for most of the crossing, and gazed at her flawless skin, ruby red lips, or shimmering golden hair. _

_I entered my chamber cautiously, and laid my beloved on my bed - thanks to my Rebel Leader status, my chambers were well-kept and rather lavish. Carefully, I held Cornelia with one arm to my chest, while I reached over and pulled back the covers. I placed her onto the sheets, wrapped my coat tighter around her broken frame, and draped the covers back over. She looked peaceful – despite the bruises on her face. A silent tear ran down my face as I brushed a lock of her stunning, STUNNING hair away from her eyes. _

_This was my entire fault. I blamed nobody but myself. If only I had been there...I could have protected her! I could have prevented this – I could have prevented Cornelia's life from being ruined. _

_Now, because of me, my girlfriend lay in my bed, unconscious. She was damaged. My Cornelia. More tears ran down my face. I was so scared. Nobody else cared like I did for her. _

_At that inconvenient moment, Will burst in. I blinked back my tears. I needed to "man up". Cornelia was a Guardian of the Veil, she was strong – she would survive this!_

"_How is she doing?" Will said, approaching me tenderly. I shrugged, and walked over to my bedroom window, staring out. The Infinite City was beautiful at times. It reminded me of Cornelia, in so many ways._

_I heard Will move into the next room. _

"_Caleb, where do you keep your sponges?" she asked. I mumbled an answer, and Will returned with two plain white sponges, plus some flannel cloths. She placed them on the bedside table I had carved myself, along with a bowl of warm water._

_I returned to Cornelia's bedside. _

"_Do you want me to help you...clean her?" I asked hesitantly – I didn't want to intrude her privacy. Will nodded.  
"It would help me loads." She said, and I nodded._

_We pulled back the covers and ensured Cornelia was comfortable, before soaking our sponges in water and cleansing her wounds. Every scratch, cut and bruise we uncovered on her body made us wince. I stuck to her face and upper body, Will washed her lower parts – however, soon Will instructed that we remove my coat so she could look at her injuries underneath, and I grimaced. This was not how I wanted to see Cornelia's body. _

_Will gently took off my coat, and I had a hard time looking away from her breasts. She was beautiful. Even with slashes and discolorations, she was god damn beautiful. I followed every curve with my eyes, and later my sponge. _

_Will was quick to bathe her wounds that I didn't want to do, and we sent Aldarn to find some women's clothes for her after putting her back under the covers._

_I dumped the sponges back in my bathroom. Yet, when I came back, I was surprised to see Will talking to Cornelia's sleeping form. _

"_...and I feel shocking. I shouldn't have let you leave my house, I should have came with you, I should have done SOMETHING! Babe, I wish so bad that it was me in your position. I would take the pain any day. I honestly would. It troubles me so much to see you lying here...to see thick blood oozing from random wounds all over your body. It even troubles me to see Caleb. My God, Cornelia – he's a mess. I never knew how much he loved you until now – I can read his eyes. They're anguished eyes. They're regretful eyes. They're heartbroken eyes. He needs you Cornelia! And so do I. I love you, okay? Now, I'm gonna have to go soon; I have to get back to Earth to tell the girls what has happened – so just get better. I want you to be stylish, I-Know-Everything, incredible Cornelia when I get back."_

_I sighed. Will was masking her emotions well. I could tell she was desperate to cry. I coughed, to get her attention. She flipped around. _

"_I have to go, Caleb. I need to tell the other girls. Plus, Cornelia needs an astral drop." She murmured. I nodded. At this point, I returned to looking intently out of my window. I could see rebels in the vast garden, playing with their children and seeking tranquillity in the peaceful hedgerows. _

_At this point, Aldarn returned with a bundle of clothes for Cornelia. I took them gratefully. They were indeed nice clothes. A short, frilly white dress had been provided, as well as plain underwear. I thanked him, and he smiled._

"_She'll be fine, Caleb. She's a Guardian! If she can battle Phobos, she can survive a human attack. Don't fret." He said, encouragingly. I shrugged, and returned to her bedside. Aldarn would never understand my feelings for Cornelia. Never._

_Will had been silent through all of this. She was leaning against a wall, her butterfly wings quivering as she stared at Cornelia. Her red hair looked forlorn, and her clothes seemed to be hanging on her. The loss of Cornelia's energy was taking its toll on her already._

"_I should go." She whispered. I nodded, as I gazed at my beloved's sleeping figure, losing myself in her beauty. I barely noticed Will grab Blunk's tooth from the wall and cut through the atmosphere to create a fold, before exiting my world._

_Aldarn placed a hand on my shoulder, and left the room. I sighed, and ran my hands through my hair. I gazed at Cornelia, yet again. _

_And all of a sudden, pale blue eyes were staring straight back at me._

_

* * *

_

_Sneaky cliffhanger! Next chapter coming up ;)_


	4. Awakening

**The Roots of Love**

A/N: If you review, you will be loved. 3

**Chapter 4 - Awakening**

_Caleb's POV_**  
**

_She blinked._

"_Caleb?" Her voice was hoarse. Probably from the screaming she had done. I immediately jumped down onto the bed next to her._

"_Cornelia." I breathed, enveloping her in a loving hug. "Oh, baby, baby, baby." I said, stroking her hair. _

"_Where... am I?" she asked, timidly. I pulled away from her. _

"_These are my chambers. I live here. Will and I brought you here." I replied, helping her sit up. I bit my lip. Here came the crucial question. "Do you remember what happened?"_

_I watched her face slowly fall. She shook her head violently._

"_No. No. I'm dreaming. It didn't happen." Tears began to run down my girlfriend's face. I came straight to her aid, wiping the heart-rending tears away from her bruised skin._

"_Please, Caleb. Please tell me that I'm okay." Cornelia whimpered. I smoothly pulled her head to my chest and kissed the top of it protectively. Here goes nothing, I thought._

"_You were attacked, Cornelia. You were coming home from Will's and at least five men grabbed you. You're injured, honey. You were lucky that you'd told me where you were – I folded to Grovestone immediately and found you, with Will. You were...naked. We carried you to Meridian and I put you in my bed. We cleaned your wounds but they're still really bad. Will has gone home to make your astral drop, and tell the others what's happened."_

_Cornelia was still crying, nearly hysterically now._

"_I remember everything. Every detail." She cried. _

_I was close to crying now. Her sobs were heart-wrenching – I could feel her tears running down my shirt, and she was shivering. _

"_Hey," I said, soothingly. "You're gonna be fine, I promise. We'll have to get a doctor to do some tests - "_

"_They didn't rape me, Caleb! They didn't!" She protested. "I remember they ran off when one of them threw me off a wall. I thought they were going to rape me though. I remember they...they...they knocked the phone out of my hand and one of them started to touch my neck, so I made a run for it, but I was too slow. One of them grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder. The others kicked me and punched me. The guy holding me dumped me on the ground and ripped my clothes off. I was struggling. The other guys pinned me down, one of them put his hand over my mouth and I couldn't breathe. They were laughing. I remember my eye suddenly being in pain, I think one of them punched it. Two of them stood back up and kicked my legs repeatedly. It hurt; I remember crying in grief. Suddenly, I was naked. I tried to scream but they were still trying to muffle me. I was thrashing around when my knee hit one of them in the 'jewels'. He sprung back in agony, so I tried to run again. However, one of them grabbed me and angrily threw me off the brick alleyway wall. I collapsed to the ground behind some bushes, and then they ran off. I passed out about two minutes later." Cornelia said frantically. _

_I was silent. There was a lot to take in. Cornelia still had tears streaming down her face, so the first thing I did was to instinctively reach for her. My arms wrapped around her and cradled her to my chest. She was small, and fragile. I just rocked her. _

"_We're gonna get them, Cornelia. We'll get them and I'll kill them." _

_She looked up at me then. Her eyes were wide and watery, but she gazed at me clearly._

"_Thankyou."_

_I returned her look. "What for?" I asked, butterflies fluttering away in my stomach. _

"_For saving my life. I love you, Caleb, I love you so much. You're my everything...I could be dead now if it wasn't for you! I can't visualize where I would be without you." Cornelia declared quietly, trying to rub away the last of her tears. It was as if she was tugging at my heartstrings._

_I moved my hands out from cradling her to gently supporting her lower back and neck. She was no longer crying, but she was shivering. I took my chances, and kissed her. Our lips met slowly and softly, both of our eyes were closed. Despair, hurt, compassion, love. Four emotions into one kiss. Somehow, it was perfection. _

_Cornelia's POV_

_I was still shaking brutally as Caleb guided me to the airy shower in his bathroom. He held my hands and helped me undress – I was only wearing his coat, nothing else. So much for dignity._

_I think that's when I noticed my injuries. On my legs – large scrapes, dried blood beginning to clot, and deep purple bruising where they had kicked me. On my arms – skin was missing, more bruises. On my face – a borderline "black eye". On my neck – was that a bite mark? My torso was covered in scratches, and I found some cuts on my back also. I had shooting pains in my arms and back, my face throbbed, and my legs were numb. I had to stop myself from screaming when I perceived this. _

_Caleb discreetly left the room while I showered. The water was hot and stung my wounds, which I winced at frequently. He returned once I had swathed myself in a huge towel. He smiled – I knew it was faked._

"_How are you feeling?" he asked, as I stood in the towel._

"_No different." I muttered, hair falling my face. He nodded, and held out a small bundle of clothes._

"_I asked Aldarn to find you some clothes..." he said, as I took them off him appreciatively and dropped my towel. I haphazardly pulled on the knickers and bra, and then slid into the white dress. The white dress was rather pretty, it was petite and summery. I'm not sure why I was noticing such trivial things at that moment in time, but I was. I realized the dress was unbuttoned, and the buttons were at the back. Immediately, I felt Caleb's warm hands accidently touch my skin as he deftly buttoned up the back of the dress. I relaxed against his familiarity, as he carefully lifted my hair out of the way to fasten the top button._

"_Do you want to go back to bed?" Caleb asked sweetly, "I need to talk to Vathek and Blunk, and I'll get us both some food – so if it's okay I'll leave you with Aldarn?"_

"_Sure, go ahead." I said, attempting a smile. Caleb did the same, lead me over to his bed and pressed a kiss to my forehead – before leaving the room swiftly._

_As soon as Caleb left the room, I felt panic start to rise in my chest. I didn't know Aldarn. What if he attacked me? What if Aldarn got further than the original assailants did? I tossed and turned on top of Caleb's bed (after the hot shower, I didn't want to go back under the covers). Where was Aldarn, anyway? Caleb had left the room five minutes ago. What if Aldarn had walked off? Who would protect me? I needed Caleb. I needed Caleb. I needed Caleb._

_I tried to calm down – I took deep breaths and tried to fall asleep – but nothing would work. I was constantly awake – eyes wide open in case somebody came inside. _

"_Caleb?" I said quietly, hoping he would magically appear. I was losing my nerve. "Caleb!" I shouted. He was probably on a different floor of the Infinite City, shouting was never gonna work. Tears began to stream down my face. I was scared. I was lonely. I was vulnerable. The only way to alarm Caleb would be to scream._

"_CAAAAALEEEEEB! CALEEEEB! CAAAAALEB!" I bawled. Rapidly, the chamber door opened..._

_Aldarn's POV_

_Obviously, when Caleb asked me to look after Cornelia for half an hour, I accepted. I planned to wait outside for a bit longer, then go and sit inside with her – hopefully, according to Caleb, she would be asleep._

_However, this did not go to plan. After 10 minutes of guarding the door, I suddenly heard screams from inside the room. I immediately entered his bedsit – only to see Cornelia sitting in his bed, frantically screeching for her beloved._

"_CALEEEEEB!"_

_I approached her – however, as soon as she saw me, she flipped out even more._

"_NO! NOT YOU! DON'T TOUCH ME! I NEED CALEB!" She cried – her eyes wide and panicked, her face streaked with tears, and her whole body wracking with nerves. I tried to pacify her panic._

"_Cornelia – Caleb's just gone to talk to a few people and get some food for you. He'll be back soon. I can promise you, you're safe with me!" I said, soothingly. Cornelia appeared not to listen._

"_NO! I don't trust you!" She yelled. She was paranoid. I didn't blame her. She cowered slightly as I took a step closer. _

"_Please don't hurt me, please." She sobbed. _

"_I won't, I promise!" I said, gently patting her on the shoulder. Big mistake._

"_LET GO OF ME! LEAVE ME ALONE! CALEBBBB!"_

_I sighed, and decided to get someone to find Caleb. Luckily, Drake had been passing by outside, so I asked him to find the Rebel Leader. _

_It wasn't long until Caleb burst through the door. Cornelia was still squealing for Caleb, and crying her entire heart out – except she was curled up in a ball under the covers. I was sitting in a chair near the bed, with my head in my hands, exasperated._

_Caleb dropped the box of food he was carrying on the floor and stormed over to me._

"_I asked you to look after her!" He seethed, pulling me out of my chair. I gulped._

"_She went crazy! I'm sorry. I tried to console her but she it made her worse." I replied remorsefully. Caleb glowered at me._

"_She's just been attacked. Have some sympathy."_

_Cornelia then must have heard Caleb's voice, as she stopped howling. Caleb quickly sat down on the bed next to where Cornelia was hidden under the covers, and slowly peeled them back. Under the covers, was a shaking Cornelia. I gawked as Caleb tenderly pulled her into his arms. I had never seen him so...gentle. This was Caleb – Caleb, who could single-handedly face off with 20 of Phobos' trained men – yet he was now murmuring into a Guardian of the Veil's hair, "I'm here, it's okay"?_

_Cornelia stopped shaking and settled down immediately. She and Caleb stayed buried in each other's arms for another few minutes, both of them breathing steadily. I observantly left the room, knowing that Cornelia was safe with Caleb._

_Will's POV_

_As soon as I returned to Earth, the sun was just beginning to rise in the sky. I immediately created an astral drop for Cornelia, told her what to do, say and act to like and sent her off home. It was 5 am, and I was on my way to Heatherfield Park. I whipped out my phone and dialled Taranee's number. _

_The phone rang six times, then she picked up._

"_Uh, Will? You do realize that it's 5 am? AND I'M TRYING TO SLEEP?" She whispered furiously._

"_Taranee, this is serious. Make an astral drop, now. Meet me at Heatherfield Park in twenty minutes. Prepare to go to Meridian." I said, not in the mood for melodrama._

"_Why? What's going on?" Taranee asked, shocked._

"_Just do it." I replied, and hung up. Next, Hay Lin._

"_Hey, Will. Why are you ringing me now?" Hay Lin said – conversely, she was much chirpier than Taranee._

"_There's a problem. Meet me at Heatherfield Park in twenty. Oh, and make an astral drop!" I ordered, before ending the call._

_I had to dial Irma's number four times until she finally picked up.  
"Will._ _I was asleep!" She shouted. _

"_Irma, I don't care," I said, irritated, "what matters more is that you meet me and the girls at Heatherfield Park in twenty minutes. Make an astral drop, and prepare to go to Meridian."_

_Irma, clearly shocked, agreed, and hung up._

_Within 15 minutes, Hay Lin came panting into view. She had obviously ran here. Although Taranee followed a minute later, we had to wait 10 minutes for Irma to arrive._

"_Will, please can you tell us what is going on?" Taranee asked, frustrated, as the four of us stood in silence. I sighed. Hay Lin suddenly piped up._

"_Wait! We need to wait for Corny!" she squeaked._

"_Uh, that's the thing, guys. Cornelia...well, she...she...she was attacked. Last night. She had stayed at mine, and was walking home, and five men assaulted her. Caleb managed to get hold of me and we found her in the early hours of this morning, in Grovestone. She was unconscious, naked and injured. We took her to Meridian, and Caleb's currently looking after her. I've made her an astral drop, who should be arriving at Cornelia's house about now." Somehow, I managed to stay cool throughout telling them that, which I considered to be an achievement._

_I looked up from the ground to stare at my friends' faces. Taranee looked irate, Irma looked shaken, and Hay Lin was welling up. Of course, Irma was the first to speak._

"_Is she okay?" she said, her voice wobbling._

_I shrugged. "I'm not sure. We cleaned her wounds, and they were pretty bad. She was unconscious the whole time."_

_Hay Lin gasped._

"_My best friend! My sister! My Cornelia!" she croaked, weeping. I groaned._

"_Keep it together, Hay. For Cornelia." Taranee said, quietly. I nodded in agreement. Taranee looked up, her eyes steely._

"_I think you should take us to see her, Will. We're her best friends."_

_I gave Taranee a knowing look – she didn't need to tell me these things._

_I picked up the Heart from my chest and slashed the air, creating a fold to Meridian. I threw and arm around Hay Lin, and walked through the fold – Taranee and Irma followed. I always found that I seemed to die for a couple seconds whilst walking through a portal. I found that I couldn't see, breathe, or feel anything. I couldn't move, I couldn't remember anything for those 2 seconds and then BAM! I was in Meridian, and I was fine. It was odd. _

_The four of us arrived in silence in Meridian. We materialised from the portal just next to the entrance of the Infinite City, which was immensely helpful. I leaned down to the door and knocked five times quickly, and then punched the door hard. It was a secret knock that all the Rebels knew – Aldarn had told me about it earlier. _

_Vathek opened the door, which was good. I was glad to see him. He beamed at us._

"_I expect you're here to see Cornelia?" he said, letting the four of us in. We followed him down a steep set of stairs and he lead us across a huge empty hall. _

"_Of course. I don't suppose you've spoken to Caleb yet?" I enquired, as we plodded down a twisty, emerald passage. _

"_Yes, actually. He rushed down here to ask about someone taking over his duties – well, he actually asked me to take over his duties – for the next few days. However, he had to rush off, because Drake came running saying Cornelia had broken down on Aldarn or something and she was screaming..."_

_Our faces dropped as he said that. Hay Lin joined the conversation._

"_..Is..Is she...really bad?" she said, concerned. _

"_At least she's okay. That's the main thing!" Irma said confidently. I was glad that Irma wasn't overreacting – it was a typical thing for her to do. _

_We were escorted up lots of stairs, until we reached what I recognized at Caleb's place. Aldarn was sitting dejectedly on the floor._

"_Hey, Aldarn," I announced. He looked up, and his face brightened._

"_Will!" Aldarn exclaimed, jumping up to meet her. I was taken aback – I had hardly met the guy yet he was grinning like an idiot at me. Hmm._

"_Can we go in?" Taranee demanded, positioning her glasses on her nose-bridge. _

"_Sure," Aldarn said, shooting me a lingering look as I entered Cornelia's room. Definitely odd._

_Cornelia's POV_

_After the incident with Aldarn, Caleb suggested that we ate – neither of us had eaten since the evening before. He had produced a basket of fruit and bread and had even convinced a kid in the Tavern to give him some chocolate, which was included in our basket. _

_We sat on the small balcony outside of Caleb's main room. It was hot – for me anyway, as I had been in bed before – so I sat on his lap devouring strawberries, and he held me, whilst eating an apple. I was beginning to feel better – sitting in the morning sunshine in the white dress which Caleb had given me. I spun around, after finishing off what must have been my twentieth strawberry, and began to play with his hair._

"_I don't understand," I thought out loud. Caleb's eyes shot up to mine._

"_Understand what?" he answered, gazing into my eyes and absentmindedly putting his apple core on the table. His arms enveloped me further, which I liked._

"_I don't understand what I did to deserve you. Because there is no way on this planet that I am in the same league as you. I'm like, in the ground with the mud slugs, and you're up at the top...higher than Vance Michael Justin."_

"_Don't say that," Caleb ordered, pulling my hands from his head and holding them tightly. "Otherwise we'll get into an argument."_

_I smiled. Caleb's beauty and honesty and energy and love were enough to distract me from yesterday's events._

_We sat there for a while – just soaking up the sunrise and basking in our romance. Once or twice I tried to leave Caleb's knees as I knew my weight wasn't exactly light, but Caleb gave me a patronising look and pulled me back on. _

"_Do you want to talk about what happened with Aldarn?" Caleb said, breaking the sweet silence._

_I nodded, hesitantly. As if by magic (to be fair, it probably was), the sun went behind the clouds._

"_I don't feel exactly comfortable with other men right now." I answered. Caleb concurred. _

"_I understand. Completely. But, I swear down, Aldarn would NEVER hurt you, Cornelia. If he did, I would probably kill him."_

"_Honestly?" I asked, stunned._

"_Yeah. And I promise that when I find those sons of bitches I'll kill them too."_

"_But you aren't a murderer, Caleb."_

"_For you, I am everything." Caleb said, smiling._

"_Hello?" a familiar voice rang out from inside of Caleb's room._

_I identified it automatically – Will. I jumped from Caleb's lap, and panicked._

"_She cannot see me like this!" I hissed, gesturing to my many injuries._

"_Will helped to clean your wounds." Caleb replied, raising an eyebrow. I was about to protest, but then Will appeared around the corner._

"_Cornelia!" She breathed, and hugged me so hard, I couldn't breathe! I hugged her back lightly. Then, I felt four more pairs of arms surround me – it didn't take a genius to figure out that my guardian friends had arrived. Caleb left the balcony to give us some time on our own. He placed a chaste kiss on my head, nodded at Will and moved into his bedroom._

"_This is my entire fault." Will said glumly, staring at her hands._

"_Cornelia, this shouldn't have happened." Irma said hesitantly, unsure what to say._

"_Everything is going to be okay, hun." Taranee reassured, soothingly._

"_I just feel so terrible!" Hay Lin exclaimed, upset._

_They all were speaking at the same time, which made everything a bit too much for me. I backed away from them all._

"_One at a time guys..." I said quietly. They all went silent, nodding. Will spoke first._

"_I, uh, need to ask Caleb something. 2 seconds." She said, smiling, and disappeared. I was left with Irma, Taranee and Hay Lin. I sat down in one of the chairs._

"_I guess you want to know the details?" I asked, gesturing that they sat down beside me. I forced a smile. "It's really not that bad, I think I've had worse...it's just a bit upsetting."_

_Irma cut in. _

"_Don't lie, Corny."_

_I sighed._

"_Well, yes, it is bad. I feel uncomfortable around you guys - that's how bad it is. I can only feel completely okay when I'm with Caleb. I freaked out earlier because I was left alone with Aldarn and I thought he would attack. I wasn't raped. Thank God. But I was thrown around. I remember they threw me off a wall and they kept on kicking me and punching me, and then I kept trying to run but they just floored me. They undressed me and they were probably going to rape me but they didn't."_

_They all grimaced at the thought of it._

_We talked for a while longer, but I didn't exactly say much as everything was still so...raw. _

_Will entered the balcony, ten minutes later, and announced that they had to go, as school was starting in fifteen minutes. I glanced up at Will with wide eyes. Why hadn't she spoken with me?_

"_I'll ring you later, Cornelia. I promise. I've just sorted a couple of things out with Caleb. He'll explain." She said, optimistically. I concurred._

_The girls gave me goodbye hugs, and left for school.

* * *

_

_Woo! Stay tuned for chapter five. There's gonna be one or possibly two more chapters about Cornelia's recovery, and then something big is going to happen...  
_


	5. Apologies and Intruders

**The Roots of Love**

A/N: If you review, you will be loved. :3

**Chapter 5 - Apologies and Intruders  
**

_Cornelia's POV_**  
**

_Time seemed to pass quickly in Meridian. I was recovering well. That evening, my injuries had stopped hurting so much. Earlier on, Caleb took me to a clinic at the bottom of the Infinite City, and I had been looked at. I was given ointments and medication for the scrapes and cuts on my body. The nurse there had also checked me for any evidence of rape, and I was fine. _

_Caleb and I had spent most of the day lying around in his room, just talking. He explained about how he thought he had lost me and how terrified he was. I talked about how I wasn't scared of being raped; I was scared of having my first child who wasn't his._

_He lit his log fire later on to warm us up, and we soon fell asleep on his sofa, wrapped up together in a blanket. I felt warm; I felt safe..._

_...that was, until the nightmare began._

_It was horrifying. Last night's events were happening all over again, except everyone I knew was joining in. Will was smirking as she joined in, Phobos was kicking me – even Martin Tubbs was yanking my t-shirt off. _

_I was crying and screaming for Caleb – who wasn't there, in the dream – but more and more people came to attack me, and my screams were effortless. I felt my blood pouring everywhere, I just wanted it to stop. I needed Caleb, I needed Caleb, I needed –_

"_CORNELIA!" a voice cried, jerking me awake. It was Caleb, obviously. I glanced around. We were still lying on the sofa, except I was stretched out and Caleb was straddling me, his face a picture of shock. I realised that I was out of breath and tears were running down my face._

"_It was...a dream?" I cried, remembering the nightmare._

"_Yeah, baby. You haven't stopped struggling and screaming my name." Caleb explained, helping me into a sitting position. He left me for a second, and came back with a glass of water._

"_Thank you." I accepted the water and began to drink it, shakily. We were sitting side by side now on the sofa._

"_What happened?" Caleb asked plainly, taking my free hand in his._

"_Last night. Except with more people. And when I say more, I mean about a thousand. You weren't there." I said, in between sips of water._

_Caleb sighed._

"_I promise you, Cornelia, I'm never going to let you out of my sight again." He said, honestly. He kissed me, and we fell back asleep on the sofa, both in dreamless sleeps._

_When I woke up, Caleb was gone. I was about to call for him, noticing he was nowhere in the room, when I heard the shower running. I trudged into the bathroom sleepily. Caleb was in the shower and he looked up immediately as I entered the bathroom sheepishly. He opened the door, as a symbol for me to join him – which I did, immediately. We were both dressed in Caleb's old t-shirts, for modesty. The shower cooled me down, and I soon felt Caleb's hands run down my waist. He beamed at me._

"_Your black eye is gone." He said, moving his hand up to trace the contour of my eye. I smiled._

"_I do feel better. Even though that dream last night wasn't exactly brilliant." I replied, feeling the water run down my spine. I shivered, and Caleb saw – so he shut off the shower immediately. _

_We sat outside in the morning sunrise in our wet clothes, and Caleb made us both Meridian Breakfast – Elk eggs with sultana doughballs. It was surprisingly delicious, and I congratulated Caleb on being such a good cook. _

_Will popped in for a few minutes (she had also rang last night, to say she would be dropping me off a bag of clothes this morning) to say hi. She asked me how I was, which I answered "Better". She explained all of the gossip – Irma got a detention for cart wheeling across the Chemistry classroom, Taranee and Nigel were having a double date with Hay Lin this weekend – and she also explained the latest happenings with Matt. I was glad to know that they had both texted each other last night, and Matt had said that he wanted to talk to her in person tomorrow (well, today) because he had a lot of things to say and he wanted to say them in person. Naturally, Will was stressed. We chatted for longer, and then she left for school. _

_I dressed in some of my fresh clothes that Will had brought me (a purple woollen skinny tunic with dark tights and purple sandals) and told Caleb that I wanted to go outside. I was feeling really good this morning!_

_We went for a walk around the Infinite City gardens, Caleb playing "tour guide". Then we went to the City's tavern for some food. Aldarn was sitting edgily at a different table. I wanted to apologize to him, but I just felt that I couldn't..._

_This made things awkward, for me, at least, when Caleb had a meeting with his rebellion organisers in the tavern. However Caleb promised me that afterwards he would make sure Aldarn knew I was sorry, even though I "didn't need to apologize", according to him._

_As Caleb and I were waiting for his friends to arrive, Blunk crashed into the tavern. He started yabbering on about the trade. Caleb and I shook our heads, and ignored him. Aldarn shifted over, faking a smile at us both. He sat down and began to discuss the latest news on Phobos. Apparently some Lurdens had been spotted near the West entrance, and Aldarn had managed to destroy them before they got any closer. Caleb quizzed him about this until Drake arrived. He smiled gently at me, and joined the conversation. He had heard reports from a few men that neighbouring villages were being searched for rebels. Nobody was sure about this however. Vathek appeared merely minutes later, however he had nothing to discuss. He asked me how I was feeling. The other guys fell silent, and Caleb grabbed my hand tenderly for support. _

"_I'm better, Vathek, thank you for asking. Obviously everything's still a bit...up in the air...but I'm recovering. These things happen." I said, trying to sound confident. Maybe it worked, as Caleb turned around and beamed at me._

_At that moment, Julian entered. He paused slightly, and stared – he stared at his son, holding hands with a blonde girl, and smiling his face off. _

_Oh dear._

_I hadn't exactly talked to Julian much, but from what I knew, he loved his son. This was going to be awkward._

"_Vathek" Julian greeted, "Aldarn, Drake..." he then turned to us. "Caleb, good to see you, I haven't seen you around recently," the older man said, hugging his son. He looked at me._

"_Julian Hart, I don't believe we've met." He stated, outstretching a hand for me to shake. I immediately dropped Caleb's hand and shook Julian's nervously._

"_Cornelia Hale. I'm the Earth Guardian." I said, quietly. Julian sat down at the table. Caleb cleared his throat._

"_Uh, yeah; Cornelia is also my girlfriend, Dad. But, um, that's a different story. On with the meeting!" Caleb said quickly. It was the first time I'd ever heard a hint of anxiety in his voice. However, I looked up to him for telling his father straight. I could never do that._

_The meeting lasted around half an hour. They updated each other with the Rebellion's progression: Drake reported that at least 40 people from the village of Tambana had joined; Aldarn informed that after their siege to steal supplies from the castle, Phobos had increased guards everywhere and was apparently planning to raid villagers' homes to steal their supplies; Vathek announced that Phobos was spending days in his throne room with Cedric, hatching plans to bring down the Rebellion and the Guardians in time for Elyon's Coronation and Julian declared that over 200 boxes of weaponry had been delivered from the Mage. _

_Caleb wrote all of this down. He had nice handwriting, for a boy. I sat and watched him write, silently. Julian kept shooting Caleb and I weird looks, and finally, he spoke to me:_

"_So, Cornelia, how are the Guardians faring?"_

_I stopped. How were the Guardians faring? I had no idea. I hadn't spoken to the girls about our duties for three days now. I came up with a bunch of lies._

"_Good, we've developed some strategies on how we can take down Cedric and we've been experimenting on...uhm...folding...so we can get to Meridian easier."_

_Julian nodded. I sounded pathetic. I kept mumbling and pausing and wracking my brains. What an impression I must have made on Caleb's father._

_Caleb himself called the meeting to an end later and we all parted our ways. Julian requested that he speak to Caleb, alone, so (after Caleb had INSTRUCTED the guys to take me back to our chambers and not touch me, not do anything insensitive and not leave me alone) I left. _

_On the way to Caleb's pad, I caught up with Aldarn._

"_This is an apology," I said, "and I hope you'll accept it."_

_Aldarn frowned._

"_You're apologizing? Cornelia, I messed up. I shouldn't have left you alone, I should have been more careful. I was completely out of order." He replied. _

"_No, please. I feel terrible. I shouldn't have overreacted. It was just in the heat of the moment and I forgot how to trust people." I said, honestly. Aldarn smiled knowingly._

"_It wasn't your fault. You had just been attacked. If I were you, I would have been a lot worse." _

_We both let out small laughs. The guys deposited me at Caleb's dwelling, and sat outside, whilst I went inside and sat down on the bed. I picked up the bag Will had packed for me, and found my phone. _

_7 UNREAD MESSAGES._

_Christ, I thought, and began to read through them._

_CORNELIA, CAN'T BELIEVE THIS HAS HAPPENED, YOU'RE STRONG, PULL THROUGH. TARA. XXXXXX_

_OMG. THIS IS SO TERRIBLE :| BABY IT'S GONNA BE OK. LOVE YOU. HAY LIN. XOXOX_

_CORNY, WILL RING U LATER. HOPE U'VE HAD A GOOD DAY IN BED RECOVERING. WILL 333_

_BABE, GET BETTER SOON, MISSING THE BICKERING! IRMY XXX_

_HEYY CORNELIA, CAN I B UR LAB PRTNR TOMORRO? LUV ALCHEMY XOXOXOXOXOX_

_WELL DONE AT ICE SKATING, HONEY, KNEW YOU COULD DO IT! LOTS OF LOVE MOMMY XXXXXX_

_WHEN R U COMING BAK? WE NEED TO START SPYING ON ELYON. CANT DO IT WITHOUT U ORACLE SAYS. HOPE UR NEARLY BETR. W. XXXX_

_I missed my mother. She had no idea about any of this...and it was best kept that way, I supposed. The girls were so generous, even Alchemy, who was as clueless as the day is long. _

_At that moment, Caleb slammed through the door. He looked angry. I jumped as the door clanged shut._

"_Damn Father!" he yelled, ripping off his coat and sinking into the sofa just in his vest and trousers. I jolted off the bed and joined him immediately on the sofa. _

"_What happened?" I asked, tentatively. He groaned. _

"_My Father believes that by dating you, I am interfering with the Guardians' chances of success, and you are interfering with the Rebels'."_

_I was silent. _

"_He was saying how I only want to go out with you because you're pretty and you're a guardian. I was yelling at him, telling him he was wrong. He didn't listen. He never listens. My father loves me, and I love my father, but he's always so...proud. He likes having the perfect son who is the perfect rebel leader. He doesn't listen to my complaints, my worries, my thoughts..."_

_I felt a freezing cold tear run down my face. Life without Caleb. Life without love. Life without happiness. Life with depression. Life with sadness. Life with pain. I couldn't do it. If Julian wanted us to separate he would have to think again, because (another tear began to roll) I couldn't virtually do it. _

_Caleb was still talking, but he suddenly stopped when he saw my face._

"_Hey...what's wrong?" he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and turning my body to face him._

"_I can't be without you, Caleb." I whispered. He looked at me, weirdly. I sighed._

"_I know, it sounds stupid. You probably don't feel the same. I'm silly for crying over such things because it's not like we're married or anything. And we live in different planets, different worlds...I just feel that -"_

_My explanation was broke off by Caleb's lips meeting mine. My eyes widened as kissed me strongly and passionately. This was something I had never felt._

_I kissed him back, my arms wrapping around his neck as his fingers ran through my hair. We didn't stop for minutes, for some reason, neither of us needed to breathe. I felt my mind stop thinking as our tongues played hopscotch, twisting and interlocking. It was beyond perfect. _

_Yet, suddenly, there was a disruption._

**_Will's POV_**

_I was tossing and turning. It must have about 3 am, and I was throwing myself around in bed, trying to get comfortable. Suddenly, the Heart of Candracar emerged from my chest, and I rubbed my eyes blearily. I stared at the orb, to see the Oracle looking back at me._

"_Will," he spoke, his voice reverberating around my bedroom. I dived under the covers so it would be quieter, so the Oracle continued, "it appears we have a problem."_

_Later on.._

"_What do you mean? I don't understand." Irma asked quizzically. I sighed. It was lunchtime, and Irma, Taranee, Hay Lin and I were all sitting outside of the Institute. I was explaining the Oracle's message from last night._

"_The Oracle is extremely worried. He knows about Cornelia's attacking, and he knows that she's in the Infinite City with Caleb. But he's not the only one who knows about it. He found out from Tibar that Phobos's men found the entrance to the Infinite City last night and they are preparing to infiltrate it."_

_Taranee figured it out immediately. _

"_We need to get Cornelia out of there!" she squawked. Hay Lin looked scared._

"_If Cedric manages to find Cornelia, he could use her as the key to Caleb's and our downfall!"_

_Irma finally understood. _

"_Crap. We can't leave an astral drop here. We're gonna have to wait until later to tell Cornelia!" she said, disheartened. Something dropped inside of me._

"_Oh crap, you're right, Irma. We've got the Algebra exam NEXT lesson!" I agreed._

"_Like we're going to be able to concentrate anyway, with everything that's been going on..." Taranee said. _

_We left to go inside, in silence._

_Cornelia's POV  
_

_The disruption was Blunk. He crashed through Caleb's door, winked at our entwined bodies, and began to blabber about Vathek needing Caleb's help. Caleb refused to leave me alone._

"_I'm sorry, Blunk, but Cornelia needs me." He repeated, as Blunk whined that Vathek sounded urgent. I touched Caleb's shoulder, and he spun around._

"_Go," I ordered, "we have to prove your father wrong, and if I hinder you, then we won't manage to do so. I'll be fine."_

_Caleb stared at the ground, before relenting._

"_Stay in the room, don't leave, don't open the door. I'll be back within 20 minutes, I promise." He said, before quickly taking hold of me and kissing me tenderly. He then ran out of the room with Blunk at his side._

_I pottered around his medieval apartment for a bit, cleaning up here and there. Of course, it was rather clean anyway, so my work was pointless. I retreated to the balcony, and gazed at the view. The gardens were beautiful. No one was outside, so everything seemed tranquil._

"_I don't want to go home." I thought aloud, looking up to the skies._

"_Oh, trust me; after we're done with you, you will regret saying that." A familiar voice hissed._

_I spun around._

**_Caleb's POV_**

"_So what exactly did Vathek want me for?" I asked Blunk, as I ran swiftly down the emerald green staircases and Blunk plodded alongside me._

"_Blunk not know exact. Big scary blue man ask Blunk to get Caleb, big scary blue man say we been found."_

_I tensed up._

"_Found? Found by whom?"_

_Blunk gulped._

"_Big scary snake man."_

_I stopped running._

"_...Cedric!" I said, my mind overriding. _

_Blunk nodded slowly. We began to sprint to find Vathek. _

_Crap, crap, crap. Cedric had found us. He probably had an army with him too. Oh crap. We were done for. _

_I soon caught up with Vathek, Aldarn and Drake at the West Gate. Vathek looked unconscious, Aldarn was comforting a crying woman, and Drake was picking up some rocks which were scattered all over the floor._

"_What the hell is going on?" I asked loudly. They all (bar Vathek) looked up as I arrived._

_Aldarn spoke first, quietly._

"_Vathek was minding the gate, and all of a sudden there was a loud boom. Before he could signal for an emergency, he was knocked unconscious. I heard commotion and came to find all of this rubble everywhere and I could hear footsteps fading away. Then Myra here (*he gestured to the woman*) came running to tell me she had just seen Cedric with atleast 20 men. I called for you and Drake. However, that's not the only thing Myra noticed."_

_I could feel myself begin to shake, but I carefully nodded at Aldarn to continue._

"_Myra said that she heard Cedric shout to his men to spread out and look for the Guardian."_

"_NO!" I screamed. In a matter of seconds, I was sprinting back to my place. Sprinting faster than I'd ever sprinted before. I couldn't let them touch her, get to her, take her..._

_I kept on running, but I felt already that I wasn't fast enough._

_THANKS FOR READING! REVIEWS MAKE ME SO HAPPY :-D  
_


	6. Pressure

**The Roots of Love**

A/N: Come on guys! I've written like, 10 more chapters for everyone to read - if you wanna see them, you're gonna have to review and make me smile! just one word will make a little flu-ridden girl happy! :D

Chapter Six: Pressure

**_Cornelia's POV_**

_I wanted to scream, but I knew I had to keep cool. Here I was, dressed in a red Abercrombie hoodie and high waisted shorts, shaking like an earthquake, having a standoff with a giant, malicious snake and about 10 heavily-armed men. _

_"Cedric!" I spat, clenching my fists to stop shaking and trying to sound angry, "What the hell do you want?"_

_Everything was silent after my outburst. Then, Cedric let out a low, rumbling laugh, and an evil glint appeared in his eyes._

_"You." He said, and his cronies laughed as he jumped on top of me. I began to scream as he picked me up. The other night's events began to play in my head, and I screamed even louder. _

_I felt a sudden blow to the head, and I began to fall unconscious. The last thing I saw out of my tear-filled eyes was Caleb skidding into the room, sword at the ready, and then Cedric folding us all to Meridian Palace, leaving Caleb looking terror-stricken._

_I don't remember any after that, until I woke up. I was in the throne room, I noticed, and I couldn't speak or move – this was because there were thick, sharp ropes tying my hands, knees, and feet, and I was gagged with some sort of cloth. _

_I was tied so I was kneeling, and the rope work was very intricate and tight. I could feel rope running in between my shoulders, pinning them so I couldn't turn around._

_I fought against my bonds, but nothing worked. I then looked around the room, and saw that I was in a wrought iron cage, and Phobos was staring down at me. I screamed. Except, all that came out was a muffled "merph!". It wasn't even a week since my attack, and now this. I felt piercing cold tears stream down my face. I just wanted to live an ordinary life. I didn't want to get hurt, not anymore._

_"So, you're Little Miss Plants and Flowers, am I correct?" Phobos finally said, sarcasm dripping through his tone. I didn't respond. He laughed. "Of course you are. I've done my research. Cornelia Hale, darling daughter of Elizabeth Hale and Harold Hale. Confident cheerleader, talented student, cool big sister, and an ice skater. Wielder of the Earth element. However, the most interesting one is your relationship status. Dating Mr Caleb Hart, the Rebel Leader. That's certainly an achievement."_

_How did he know all of these things? I struggled against the ropes and cloth, desperately trying to get free. The cage I was in was pretty small – only about 1 metre by 1 metre. I couldn't stretch my limbs out because of this small proximity. It was very uncomfortable to sit in, and the metal was cold against my thin clothes. Phobos continued, pacing around my confinement._

_"You're the key. I realised this some time ago. I can bring down the Guardians and the Rebels with only you! I know that dear Caleb would give up his cause just to have you safe and out of harm's way. Plus, Will would happily lay down the Heart of Candracar in exchange for your life spared."_

_I wasn't sure whether Phobos was talking to me or himself. However, I began to grow scared. Extremely scared. I realised how vulnerable I was in the position I was in, and began to panic. _

_"I have several things lined up for you. Various methods of torture. I need to know details about the attacks you have planned against me – and I will find out. Once I have the information I need, I will appear to your fellow Guardians and Rebel Leader and instruct that they hand over the Heart of Candracar and a signed document declaring that any form of rebellion has been ceased."_

_I screamed and tried to lash out at the Tyrant as he concluded his speech. I would never tell him what he needed to know! Never! I was a loyal Guardian, and I would rather die than help the enemy. Caleb would never let so many people down – I would never let him do so. I was sure would prefer to let me suffer than be the cause of the demise of several worlds by handing over the Heart._

_Phobos' smile turned dark as I thrashed around and he took a step away from my cage. I watched with wide eyes as he summoned his sinister powers, and I was blinded when he directed two huge balls of black energy towards me. The force hit me and I instantly felt intense pain running all around my body. I went to scream but no sound came out. I couldn't see, I couldn't hear, I couldn't move...was this what it was like to die? _

_However, seconds later, I could see again. The pain was still unbearable. He aimed a bolt of energy at me again, and I felt my bonds and gag be removed by the energy. I then let out an ear-splitting scream. Phobos didn't react._

_"Scream all you like. It won't help." He cackled. I threw myself against the cage walls. _

_"LET ME OUT, NOW! ON THE OATH OF CANDRACAR, LET ME GO!" I shrieked. He did nothing. _

_"Why would I let you out? You're my key to happiness." Phobos said, then turned to me and looked very darkly at my face. "I think it's time to begin the torture."_

_Before I could react, I was hit with the excruciating pain again. I writhed in the cage and fell to the floor, jerking as he continued to strike me with his power. It must have been minutes until he stopped. I was simply screaming and crying throughout, trying to get my breath back. I felt like I couldn't move, all the energy had been zapped from me..._

_Phobos finally stopped shooting me with the energy and sat back down in his throne. _

_"What are the Guardian's planning to do when I strip Elyon of her power?" he demanded. I suddenly stopped crying. Elyon. Where was Elyon? Surely she had to be here? Cedric had tricked her to come to Meridian weeks ago. The coronation was in a month! Elyon would let me go, she was still my best friend!_

_Whilst I was thinking, I had avoided the Tyrant's question. This angered him. I suddenly felt a force throw me up against the side of the cage._

_"ANSWER ME!" _

_I felt my head become cloudy as it slammed off the cage's bars. My mind blurred for a few seconds, and then I answered._

_"We...will...stop...you!" I said breathlessly. I couldn't bear this pain, it was nearly too much. _

_Phobos laughed, and with a flick of his fingers, sent the cage flying around the room. I squealed as it hit off the ceiling, and came crashing to the ground. I was hurled around the compact space of the cage as it thumped off the ground. _

_"TELL ME YOUR PLANS!" he bellowed, storming over to where I sat in my cage trying to recover and kicking it so I went skidding across the floor. My head smashed off the cage bars, causing blood to trickle down my forehead. _

_"I CAN'T!" I screamed furiously. I needed to get out of here. Phobos was going to hurt me. Again. Where was Caleb when I needed him? I was in danger and he wasn't here. Again._

_Phobos grabbed the cage and magicked it open. I trembled in fear, before resisting as he dragged me out of it. I couldn't walk properly from all of the pain and so when he simply dropped me, I fell to the ground. I tried to scramble backwards, away from him, but with a move of his hand, black roses grew out of the floor and tied me down. Every time I tried to free myself, the thorns pricked my skin, causing blood to run. I could feel the wounds for the other night's dealings reopen. I winced in anguish. _

_Sitting back in his throne, the Prince glowered, but spoke calmly._

_"Cornelia, I will never stop. Not until you tell me the fine points about your friends' attacks. So, everytime you refuse, Cedric is going to bite you. And, trust me, it'll hurt."_

_I hadn't noticed that Cedric was slithering around behind me. He looked hungry, and smug. My hatred for him grew._

_"I don't care how much you hurt me. I'm loyal. I won't say." I spat, my voice straining from the screams. Phobos raised an eyebrow, as if to give the signal, and I felt a burning sensation on my arm. _

_"!" That was not a scream. The sound that came from my mouth was too agonizing, too intense and too sorrow-filled to be just a scream. _

_I could feel Cedric's teeth puncture through my skin. I could feel them tear a hole in the tissue under my skin. I could feel the venom and blood spilling everywhere._

_Phobos laughed heartily. This was just a performance for him. Like watching Punch and Judy. I was panting now, desperately reaching for my breath. Phobos leant forwards in his throne. _

_"Tell me what you are planning. Tell me what your beloved boyfriend and your happy little chums are planning. NOW."_

**_Caleb's POV_**

_If you've ever been heartbroken, you should know one thing:_

_Nothing breaks your heart more than trying to save the love of your life and failing by one single second._

_I had burst into my chambers to find Cedric looming over 10 of his men, with an open fold behind him and Cornelia gripped tightly in his hand. I surged forward to attack him, but they had already disappeared through now closed fold._

_There was a deadly silence._

_Subsequently, life fell into a slow motion pace. I sank to the floor and let the tears run down my face. I sat there and cried whilst Blunk fetched the Guardians, Vathek searched the City for any more of Cedric's soldiers, and Aldarn, Drake and Julian began to fix the damage caused by the enemy._

_What was I living for? I had lost her twice. I couldn't protect her. Hell, I couldn't even protect myself. I had seen the look in her eyes as she in Cedric's grip...it was the look of defeat._

_I simply lay there and cried until Will and co arrived. Will found me straight away and forced me to stand up. Then she ordered me to go and wash up, get my sword and gear and meet them at the West Gate entrance. Irma looked furious, as well as Taranee. Hay Lin looked devastated, but none of them compared to me. No one understood how much I loved her. I loved her so much. She was worth more than my cause for fighting in Meridian. She was worth more than my life._

_That's when I realised that I couldn't continue to cry. I was the Rebel Leader – if there was one thing in my life that I had been taught to do, it was fight. I was going to get my sword, then go and fight for my Cornelia._

_I met the Guardians downstairs. They all looked pretty angry. Irma was using a lot of swear words. I had never the seen the jovial girls so angry. Suddenly, I understood the anger. Cornelia had been captured - by Phobos._

_HE WAS NEVER GOING TO GET AWAY WITH THIS._

_Will was the only one looking sane. She was busy writing a list, which I peered at._

_It read:_

_Candracar – ask Oracle_

_Figure out plan_

_Approach Phobos – with force or trick him?_

_Take down Cedric_

_Free Cornelia._

_I felt sharks swim across my stomach._

_"Please don't tell me that's a to-do list?" I asked, dreading the answer._

_"Caleb," Will began sympathetically, "we can't just go running in. We have to do this tactfully. Cornelia is at stake. We are going to have to consult and trust the Oracle here, her life depends on it."_

_I then proceeded to throw my sword off a nearby wall._

_"That's crap! We don't need those Elders, we need your powers and a sword!" I bellowed, scaring them all._

_Irma was the only one who didn't look taken aback. She walked up to me, and glared._

_"Trust us, Caleb. We're competent. We're going to save Cornelia, and we're going to save her with a plan. Like it or lump it, this is how we're working."_

_And with that, we were all transported to Candracar._

_When I looked around, we were in the ethereal Candracar. Home of the Oracle – who wasn't far away. He was stood right in front of our group of five, looking very studious and serious._

_Will bowed, and approached him._

_"Sir," she said slowly, "we were too late."_

_The Oracle nodded. He looked down at us._

_"Tell me, Wilhelmina, have you experienced pain?" he asked Will directly. Will looked stunned._

_"Uh, yeah. When my parents split up, I guess...and when one of us is upset...or when I have problems with grades or boys..."_

_"No. I mean, have you experienced real pain?" The Oracle asked again. Will looked confused._

_"I don't think I have, Sir..."_

_The Oracle indicated agreement._

_"That is the correct answer, Will. I, long, long ago, suffered from real pain. And now, I suffer again. I can feel Cornelia's pain. It is worse than any emotion you have ever felt."_

_I gasped, but Hay Lin managed to grab hold of my wrist and cut off the circulation so I wouldn't lash out. She let go once I had stood still for a moment._

_But Hay Lin couldn't stop me from speaking._

_"Tell us what to do Oracle. If she's in pain, I cannot bear it. Please, just give us an answer."_

_NEXT CHAPTER: Cornelia's torture continues...with consequences._

_REVIEW AND I'LL READ YOUR FICS! _

_XXXXX  
_


	7. Revelations

**The Roots of Love**

A/N: Been ill these past 2 days. I stayed at home in bed watching Heroes and Lost, and decided to treat everyone with some new chapters.

Chapter 7: Revelations

**_Cornelia's POV_**

_I had 14 bites from Cedric on my skin, each one of them oozing blood and looking rather infected. By the end of Cedric's torturing, I must have cried a river. Phobos had reverted back to striking me with his dark, energy-sapping power once or twice, which had killed. I had screamed so much that when I spoke nothing came out. It was hours later when Phobos "gave up for the night" and hollered for his guards to take me to the dungeons. I hadn't even put up a fight when they dragged me down four flights of stone stairs and dumped me in an empty cell. I hadn't struggled when one of the guards produced an iron chain, and handcuffed my wrists together with it, and then tied it to the wall so I couldn't move around more than a metre. I hadn't said anything when they made remarks about Phobos putting me through my paces, and me getting what I deserved, and how I made up in looks for what I lacked in intelligence._

_My cell was a semi-circle shape, with a curved wall and window at the top, and bars across the front. No one was around me. I was alone._

_There was a small layer of hay on the floor, which I slept on. I managed to fall asleep straight away – it was the only place I felt safe. In my dream, Caleb and I were shopping together. It was sunny, we were happy...we were in love._

_I did wake up numerous times in the night. Guards were frequently talking outside of my cell, which hindered my sleep. I could hear them whispering, but I could not be compelled to listen. I just wanted to sleep forever._

_BANG! BANG BANG BANG!_

_I awoke with a shock. I went to get out of Caleb's bed, but I soon realised that I was in my dungeon. My head hurt; there were horrible black bite marks all along my arms. My jumper was ripped from the bites, and so was my skirt, a little._

_A guard turned several locks in the prison door, and he opened it rapidly. Grabbing my hair, he dragged me out._

_I was too affected from yesterday to react to more pain. I simply tried to walk as he hauled me along random corridors. I had no idea where we were headed. I tried to keep up with his fast pace for fear of being punished, but I didn't succeed. The guard grabbed my hair and collar harder. I yelped in pain, and he merely shoved me down the corridor, until I reached a room. I recognized it as the throne room._

_The guard mumbled curses at me – most of them being "Candracar whore". He opened the door to the Throne Room and flung me viciously inside. I was weak, obviously, so I fell to my knees. After a moment of heavy breathing and mustering up all of my strength to look around, I saw Phobos in front of me. He wasn't smiling._

_I was suddenly blasted backwards by a bright burst of blue energy. I landed against a hard wall, and I gasped as skin was scraped clean off my arms._

_"I hope you enjoyed your night's sleep...THERE'S MANY MORE TO COME!" he roared, his voice reverberating around the room. I trembled, before getting hit with another blast of magic. This time, I felt something change inside of me. I felt pain...but it was if I was being electrocuted. I could feel my limbs twisting, my heart began to race, and I could feel my back arch backwards. I looked down, and felt my jaw drop. Phobos had force transformed me. I was in my Guardian uniform!_

_I screamed long and hard then, hoping someone would come running and save me. Caleb. Will. Irma. Taranee. Hay Lin. Elyon. Even Aldarn. Anyone who could take me away from this nightmare, this crushing nightmare..._

_Phobos was still standing next to me, and he bent down slightly to touch my back. At first I thought he was merely showing emotion, but after a few seconds I felt my whole body weaken. My head was suddenly too heavy to keep up, my shoulders slumped, my legs simply curled up and my chest was dragging me to the floor. I could feel my wings beat sluggishly. I was gripping onto the edge of consciousness._

_"Go on then, Guardian. Fight back. Do something magical. Protect yourself. I've even transformed you, after stealing a bit of Elyon's power!"_

_I stirred from my defeated position as he mentioned Elyon's name. If that...villain...had hurt her, I would never let him go free. Phobos shook his head in a patronising way._

_"Don't worry, Guardian. I haven't touched your precious ex-best friend. I simply zapped some out when she was asleep – an ingenious plan, as she didn't suspect a thing." He laughed. I stopped moving and simply lay on the ground. It was about now that I realised that I would prefer to die. Die quickly and end all of this suffering._

_"Kill me." I said weakly, almost inaudible. Phobos heard it however, and looked shocked. He spoke angrily._

_"What was that? The great earth guardian giving up? I wish I could kill you, dear Cornelia, but it's not so easy. You see, I need this information about your plots, and I need it now. So tell me what your plans are, and you won't have to suffer!"_

_The rest of the day had been worse than hell. I had tried my hardest to retaliate against Phobos, but my powers simply produced tiny algae and were incredibly weak. I had never been this week in my life. I kept trying to think of Caleb and him holding me, rescuing me, kissing me...yet I couldn't feel hopeful._

_I had been subjected to Cedric's torture, which included a lot of me being thrown from one end of the room to the other. I had broken my ankle and skinned a lot of my body from this. I had also been bitten, again, which left me with more purple gashes across my skin._

_The bitter tears that crawled down my cheeks stung against my bruises and cuts as Miranda tied me up. She had thick white ropes which were wound around my legs, thighs, elbows and wrists. I was then gagged with white rope, and dumped in my cell. I simply sat there, staring into space for about an hour. I didn't want to move._

_Miranda entered my cell some time later. She was in her human form, which was irritating._

_"Cornelia, this could be avoided so easily. Phobos is a patient and kind man. Just tell him what he needs to hear." She spoke softly. It was a facade. A fat, false facade._

_"MMPH MMPH MMPH." I screamed, shaking my head vigorously in disagreement. Miranda's face immediately turned sour._

_"If that's how we stand..." she said, not finishing her sentence. She looked behind as she paused, and then suddenly launched forwards and knocked me flat. I felt her rip off my gag and push something into my mouth. It felt like a gob stopper, yet it tasted of medicine._

_Something was wrong. Very wrong._

_I could feel my head become confused. It was clouding over. An unnatural impulse shot up me, yelling at me to tell Miranda everything. I couldn't help myself._

_"The Guardians are teaming up with the Rebels to take down Phobos at Elyon's coronation. They are going to use Portals and Folds to transfer Rebels into the Abyss of Shadows and work their way up the castle, until they reach the Throne Room. They will then launch an attack on the Tyrant and free Elyon. We are going to try and stop Elyon from doing the Coronation anyway."_

_Miranda smirked, and put the cloth back in my mouth. She rubbed my hair affectionately._

_"Good girl." She commented, leaving my cell and shutting the door._

_I then realised that I had been slipped a Truth potion, and I had now ruined everything._

**_Caleb's POV_**

_Surprisingly, the Oracle had been of use. He had explained that we had to break into the Castle to save Cornelia. He showed us when we would do it – in the early hours of Sunday morning Hay Lin would find us a path inside of the castle to the dungeons. I had never broken into the dungeons, ever – so this was new and challenging for us all, especially as it was concerning the life of someone so important._

_Then, we would gather a small group of a few rebels to help us trick as many guards as we could that we were collecting a dead body. It was a clever facade, as many people died in Phobos' castle._

_The Oracle had hinted that the majority of the group should keep the guards busy, whilst a couple of us rescue Cornelia. We would also need two look outs – one to make sure Cedric was nowhere near, and one to stay ahead of the rescuing group to look out for guards and creatures._

_We folded back to Meridian afterwards, and Will assembled the Guardians (minus Cornelia, obviously), Julian, Aldarn, Drake, Vathek, Blunk and myself in an empty part of the Tavern in the Infinite City._

_"I think we all know why we're here. Cornelia, our Earth Guardian, has been captured by Phobos. This is affecting us emotionally and physically already. Without Cornelia our powers are weakened – if Phobos was to fight us for the Heart, there's a good chance we would lose. We've visited Candracar, which was a big help. The Oracle has outlined a rescue plan for us, but he's also stated some dangers. He feels that Phobos has plans to use Cornelia for bargains – such as making us hand over the Heart for her safety, or making us step down from the Rebellion. The possibilities are endless. So, we need to follow the Oracle's plan and get her back, sharp."_

_I looked at Will. She was an exceedingly good leader. Although she was upset and angry over Cornelia's capture, she had pulled herself together and managed to stay on task._

_"I have to delegate jobs for everyone. There are 10 of us. I need 3 people to rescue Cornelia, 5 people to be distractions and 2 look out," Will announced. I looked her straight in the eye, and she nodded and continued._

_"I think that Caleb and I should be two thirds of the rescuing team. We both know what we're doing since we only just saved Cornelia last week. Anyway, we need another rescuer. Anyone want to volunteer?"_

_I was shocked to see my father raise his hand._

_"I'll do it. For my son." He said, looking me directly in the eye. I hoped that meant he regretted what he said earlier._

_Will beamed._

_"That's great! Right, I'm going to sort the rest of us, 'kay?" No one seemed fussed by this, so she continued. "Irma, Taranee, Drake, Blunk and Aldarn – I want you five to distract the guards and whisperers. Vathek, you will be keeping a close eye on Cedric. Hay Lin, you're gonna fly ahead of Caleb, Julian and me and use your invisibility and hearing to help us find Cornelia."_

_Everybody agreed on their positions, and we all spent the rest of the evening in pretty much silence. It was only a matter of waiting now._

**_Cornelia's POV_**

_It was another day in my cell. I was thinking of reasons why the Oracle should have just fired me from being a Guardian, there and then._

_I had been tricked into giving away all of our tactics._

_I hadn't been able to defend myself twice in the past week._

_I was useless._

_I wanted to die right then. I really did. What was worth living for? Caleb was probably never gonna see me again. Like I said – nothing worth living for._

_Phobos must have sent for Miranda to take me out of my cell and get me cleaned up, as she came and pulled me out carelessly. Considering I had a broken ankle, both my eyes were bruised, my shoulder was painfully aching, I hadn't eaten or drank, I couldn't walk, my wrists were red raw, and I had a broken heart, she wasn't emotional for me at all. I hated her even more._

_Miranda hauled me to some horrible dressing room. It was pitch black apart from one bare light bulb. In the corner of the room there was a stone statue of the Tracker, which I frowned at._

_Miranda shoved me in a chair. She stripped me of my Guardian Uniform automatically, and then dumped a bucket of cold water over me. I recoiled in disgust, and then began shivering violently. I was dressed in a navy blue cloak with Latin gold writing on the back, and I was given my old clothes that I was captured in to wear underneath._

_The dressing session was over within minutes, and I was forced to walk to the Throne Room. My ankle gave way multiple times, but I was simply left to get up and continue walking._

_Miranda opened the door and threw me inside. I resisted the urge to ask her if she was on her period._

_Phobos was waiting for me, with Cedric. Phobos was holding out his hand, creating his vision pool of sand._

_I hobbled inside. _

_"Oi, Guardian. Guess who is making the ransom appearance today?" Phobos said, smirking. Something died inside of me. I would rather give up the ghost than tell my friends and lover that they have to stop their fight for their rights or I get killed. It would make things so much easier._

_Phobos moved his hand._

_"It is time! The sand pool is ready. We must do it quickly before Elyon departs, otherwise she could be at risk of hearing it." He said, nodding at Cedric._

_Cedric, in one fluid movement, moved over and bit me. Blood ran down my shoulder as I screamed out and jerked. The pain was surreal. He then threw me to the ground next to the sand pool._

_The sand pool cleared. I could see Will, Irma, Taranee, Hay Lin, Aldarn, Drake, Julian, Blunk, Vathek and, last but never, ever least: Caleb._

_They were looking shocked into the air. Maybe I was a hologram? Oh well. I had been instructed to do something, so I did it, with difficulty._

_I let a tear run down my face as I saw Caleb's expression. I couldn't hear them talking, but it looked like he was yelling. He was standing up and looking directly at me, panicking. Will was next to him, trying to calm him down. She looked at me worriedly. Irma, Taranee and Hay Lin seemed to be all talking at once, I guessed, and the Rebels with them looked terrified._

_I began to cry heavily, and they all stared at me with open mouths._

_"I...I'm so sorry!" I gulped, tears running off my face and mixing with the blood from Cedric's bite on my neck._

_Suddenly, like someone had removed the mute button, I could hear them._

_"Don't cry, baby, okay? This is gonna be all over soon, we're gonna get you back!" Caleb yelled. I could hear a lump in his throat._

_"What's happened, Cornelia!" Will exclaimed._

_"They won't stop torturing me until I tell them everything. They drugged me with some potion which made me tell the truth. They know about our plans. I've let you all down, and I'm so sorry. But I can't go on. This...this hurts. My body and my mind can't take it any longer. Phobos wants you to hand over the Heart and a signed legal document stating that the rebellion is no more, in exchange for my life. If you don't give him these things, he's going to kill me."_

_There was a silence. A heart-shattering silence. I knew they couldn't believe what I had just said. Caleb spoke._

_"I'll do it. I'll get the document to Phobos by tomorrow." He said seriously._

_"NO!" I cried, "You can't! This isn't about what you want anymore, Caleb. This is about the people of Meridian. They can only live in harmony if Phobos is gone, and to bring him down you need the Guardians and the Rebels. You don't need me."_

_"We do need you Cornelia! Without you we aren't the Guardians! We will always need you, we're going to save you!" Hay Lin screamed hysterically. Drake laid a hand on her shoulder._

_"Please, just let me go. I don't want to die but if it means saving Meridian, I'll do it. I love you all. Girls, you are my sisters. Guys, you've helped me a lot. Caleb...I will never stop loving you. Ever. I'm sor- "_

_Cedric had heard what I was saying. He grabbed me, mid-sentence and threw me across the floor. I could hear faintly everyone through the sand pool screaming out for me, and bellowing at Cedric._

_Cedric let out a laugh that shook the Palace room. He faced the Sand Pool and spoke._

_"Do you really want something as beautiful as dear Cornelia to die? Even I don't. She's so beautiful; I might have to get a bit of her before we kill her. I'm sure you don't want that, do you, Rebel Leader?"_

_I crawled slowly back to the Sand Pool. I couldn't physically walk at this point in time. Cedric batted me away with his tail, and I hit the wall. I fell down against it, scraping off skin and letting blood pool down my back. Cedric spoke, ignoring me cry out in anguish.  
_

_"Give us the Heart and the Document, and the Earth Girl will be spared. We expect them both before Saturday midday."_

_Come on guys! :D I've at atleast 30 viewers this month - I want a review from you all! Even if you hate the story! THANKYOU SO MUCH TO MY REVIEWERS - _

_lexvan - you've followed me from the start of this and every chapter i get a brilliant review from you! thankyou so much for sharing your views, giving me praise and helping out. There will be more WillxMatt in future chapters :D_

_CalebandCornelia4ever - thanks for the review, and don't worry! i'm aiming for at least 30 chapters, so stay tuned and drop some more reviews and you shall get them quicker ;)_

_supercyke - i've going as fast as i can! :D i write most of this in the early hours of the morning with no internet connection so i end up falling asleep a lot of the time  
_

xxx


	8. The Unexpected Saviour

The Roots of Love

A/N: Not a very long chapter, but I'll add Chapter 9 straight after this, so you're all getting a double dose of The Roots of Love! I EXPECT DOUBLE REVIEWS...PLEASE! 3 seriously, it ain't difficult to do - 1. read the story (read it from the beginning if you're a newbie!). 2. press the button at the bottom of the page (the one that says review). 3. throw me a couple of words (or paragraphs :D) of positive, negative and constructive comments (whatever floats your boat). 4. if you're feeling nice, add me to your favourite authors, or add the story to your favourites too ;D if you want to be the first to read the next chapters, add me to your alerts! (i'll love you forever). and that, is how to review the roots of love! enjoy the chaps guys 3

Will's POV

Saturday midday? This gave us one day. We had scheduled to rescue Cornelia on Sunday, but clearly this wasn't possible. I knew there was no way I could hand over the Heart. Candracar would fall, as would Meridian, Zamballa and Earth...

I also knew that if we staged the plan we were going to do on Sunday morning on Saturday instead, we had a shot at rescuing Cornelia.

However, we could only put the plan into play if everyone participated – and at that moment in time, Caleb looked like he wanted to commit.

"I have to give them the document. It's the only way she can be saved." Caleb said, his face in his hands. Worry lines were etched across his forehead and he had more stubble than usual on his face – he obviously hadn't shaved.

"We can still rescue her. We have one day. Somehow, if we get into the castle, we can all spread out and find her." I said, addressing everyone. Julian looked up, sadly.

"Unfortunately Will, I believe that it won't happen. Don't you think they'll be expecting us to do that?" he said. At this point, Caleb's head fell to the table he was sitting at.

"We're doomed. There's no way we can get her back unless we give up the things they want." Hay Lin blubbered.

"But we can try!" I reacted hopefully. Taranee, who was sitting next to me, placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Will...if we give up the Heart, Phobos will just kill us all. If we give up the Rebellion he will kill Elyon. We can't risk these things." Taranee said, tearing up.

Even the Rebels were agreeing.

"Who's to say Phobos won't destroy every single person who has rebelled against him as soon as he takes the Heart? He'll destroy all of us. He'll take the Oracle, the aurameres. There's no hope if he has that amulet!" Aldarn said angrily.

"...I...I guess that...you're right." I said, defeated. "Plus, Cornelia's right. Her life will guarantee that we can get in there and destroy Phobos. She would die in honour."

"STOP IT! STOP IT, ALL OF YOU!"

I was shocked when Irma stood up and banged her fist against the table, ejecting a small spray of water.

"IMAGINE YOU'RE CORNELIA. IMAGINE FIGHTING SO HARD FOR YOUR LIFE AND WHAT YOU STAND FOR , AGAINST TWO EXTREMELY EVIL AND EXTREMELY POWERFUL VILLAINS. IMAGINE COUNTING ON YOUR FRIENDS TO SAVE YOU, TO RESCUE YOU, TO TAKE YOU HOME. IMAGINE THAT. PRETTY PAINFUL, RIGHT? NOW, PICTURE IT WHEN THEY DON'T COME. KNOWING THAT YOU'RE GOING TO DIE AND YOU'RE FRIENDS DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THE NERVE TO COME AND PREVENT THAT!"

Everyone was stunned into silence. Irma was bright red in the face, and she looked as if she was ready to kill.

"Caleb. You and I are going to save Cornelia, now. Get up, and come with me. I'm not standing by on the sidelines – we're going undercover and we're gonna get her out from that cell. The rest of you QUITTERS can stay here, while we get her back. And when we return with that blonde bimbo, you lot can tell her that you were ready to give up."

I was ready to protest, but Irma grabbed Caleb by his elbow and dragged him out of the Tavern. I wondered if she would ever forgive us.

Irma's POV

I had never been so angry. My best friends were ready to let our kidnapped best friend be murdered! I could have murdered them!

Caleb finally snapped out of it when I dragged him off, and he began to sprint. I flew alongside him. We discussed our plans to invade.

"I don't understand, Irma. You always get into fights with Cornelia." Caleb said, confused as to why I shouted everyone down.

"She's one of the greatest people I've ever met. I would never even think about letting her die."

Caleb turned to me, and smiled, as we ran.

"Thank you." He said, and I could tell he meant it.

It took less than twenty minutes to arrive at the castle. Caleb was shaking. As we approached the gate entrance, he looked nervous.

"What if we mess up, Irma? What do we do?" he said, sounding like he was about to break. I landed on the ground daintily after storming through the skies.

"We won't. I'm a guardian of the veil, and no lizard or prince can stop me from getting my best friend back." I said confidently.

On the way to the Castle, Caleb and I had formulated a plan. I was to fly us both in to the castle through one of the turrets and we would carefully avoid guards. We would make a run for the dungeons, and rescue Cornelia from there.

The first step of this was initiated, as I flew up to a tall turret, holding Caleb. He was heavy, but I could just carry him.

We landed in a strange, dark balcony, and ran into the castle. Caleb recognized we were in the "Astronomy Tower". He explained how new stars would be discovered often in Meridian when Wiera ruled the kingdom, and the Astronomy Tower would be where many people would dine and party when a new star was found. However, now that Phobos was Prince, no stars were examined as he hated the thought of other worlds that he had not yet acquired the hearts of, so the Astronomy Tower was always completely dead.

Caleb led the way down a set of stairs, pausing cautiously every now and then when he heard a noise. I followed.

We wandered down a long, dank corridor, until Caleb grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me around a corner. He was breathing heavily – I could tell he was uneasy.

I didn't bother asking why he had hid us – two guards marched past us that second. Caleb had made a good save.

"Thanks," I said, nodding. I wanted to make a quip...but it was the situation was too crucial to do so. Caleb just returned my nod, and we continued down another set of stairs.

"I think we're about ground level." I thought aloud, as I turned a corner and jogged along after Caleb down more stairs.

"You're right. One more floor and we'll be at the Oubliette. Watch out for Guards."

He was deadly serious. I was too. We were minutes away from Cornelia – it could either go so right, or so wrong.

We stopped. Caleb flipped around to me, and gazed into my eyes. I could see what Cornelia saw in him, easily. Despite being cocky at times, or dopey, he was utterly gorgeous. Yet, I didn't fancy him. I could tell he and Cornelia were meant to be. I believed in them.

"Promise me, Irma, that if you manage to get to Cornelia before I do, get the hell out of here with her. If anything happens to me, just tell I love her – I always have and I always will."

And suddenly, we burst into the dungeon.

ooooooh it's tense! also, if you want to see some more pairings in the next few chapters, please state which ones in the review! i've been asked about will/matt already, so there will be some of that poppin' up soon :D


	9. Never Letting Go

**The Roots of Love**

A/N: Chapter 9 is here too! THE RESCUE IS IN ACTION! what will happen? read on, my friends...

Chapter 9: Never Letting Go

Caleb's POV

_For two minutes of my life, I had no control over what I was doing. I felt myself draw my sword and survey the area. Ahead were the cells, tucked away behind three angry looking guards. I sprinted forward, screaming curses at them, and felt my sword slice through one of them straight away. It cut through the armour, punctured the skin and plunged into the heart. I removed my sword, just as Irma shot scalding hot water at the other two. They doubled over, and went to yell for help, but she kicked them both simultaneously into the ground, and forced water to flow around them until they drowned. I whispered to the slowly dying guard that he had joined the wrong cause._

_In the empty dungeon, I was beginning to feel my heart pound. What I thought was going to be difficult wasn't – the guards were easy. Instead, I found myself dreading looking at Cornelia. Guilt was overwhelming me. She was going to be broken – and it was going to be my entire fault._

_Irma suddenly grabbed my arm and I kicked into gear, regaining control of myself. I ran with my sword, and immediately began looking in the cells. Irma was walking behind me, feeling drained after her drowning method. First cell – empty. I continued on. Second cell – a sleeping man. I ran faster. Third cell – empty. I kept going. Fourth cell – I stopped._

_There she was. The milky twilight was beaming onto her through the window, illuminating her tiny form. I stepped forwards and looked at her._

_Wrought iron chains fastened her neck and wrists to the wall, yet she had somehow managed to curl up in a ball against the wall. I could see her body was shaking, even when she was asleep. Her skin was either covered in purple and black bruises, red-raw cuts, or deep, blood-oozing bites. Her hair was mussed and streaked with blood. I noticed she was thinner and her bones seemed to protrude. She was white pale against her favourite red Abercrombie hoodie, which was now even redder with blood and was ripped at the sides. Her legs were bare – apart from her high waisted shorts which were covered in dust and dirt. On her face was a deep gash, as well as stains from where I guessed tears were from. There were dark circles underneath her eyes, which were snapped shut as she was asleep. I could hear her gentle breathing._

_It took me all my time not to grab my sword and kill every single person in this goddamn castle. They had nearly killed my girlfriend. My hate for them was so strong._

_Yet, after one more look at her tiny form, shivering in her sleep, I tore back to where the dead guards lay and grabbed their keys. I shoved a long, thin, silver key into the door lock, and miraculously, it worked. The iron door swung open, and I raced inside. There was hay covering most of the concrete floor, which reminded me of a stable. I hated Phobos even more. My sword left my hand and clattered to the ground and I felt my heart flutter as I closed the distance between us._

_I immediately dropped to my knees and pulled her into my arms. She was freezing cold. Her eyes flickered open, terror evident in them. Her body tensed up, and the chains clinked as she tried to struggle._

_"I've got you, baby. And I am never, ever, ever letting go." I whispered, wrapping my arms tighter around her. She looked confused._

_"Caleb...is it really you?" she croaked. There were tears welling up in the bottom of her eyes. I felt a lump grow in my throat at her expression._

_"Cornelia, it's me. I promise you. I need to get you out of these chains, don't move baby."_

_She lay still in my lap as my hands began to deftly undo the chains. The one on her hands was simple – I undid the complex knot from her wrists and it unravelled immediately. I carefully reached up to the hard wall and undid the other chain which was loosely wrapped around her neck, but could easily cause harm. The knots were messier on that one, which stalled me, yet I managed to do them quickly enough. I caressed her skin soothingly as I removed the chains from her. I saw that underneath them were streaks of pink, raw skin._

_Cornelia was now sitting up, leaning against my lap, tears flowing freely from her cheeks. I reached down and scooped her up high into my arms, and she leant against my chest, sobbing._

_"As soon as we get out of here, I am going to make you better. I promise. This is my entire fault!" I sighed, carefully leaning down and kissing her drawn face._

_I exited the cell and called Irma, who was disposing of the guards' bodies. She saw Cornelia and bounded over._

_"Cornelia! I'm here!" She soothed, hugging her friend. Cornelia didn't move, and just let the tears run down her cheeks. Irma looked up at me. "I hear people coming."_

_I panicked. We were dead meat. I spun around, looking for an exit. I felt a sudden tight grip on my arm – it was Irma._

_"I can teletransport us!" she exclaimed, her eyes becoming steely. From what I knew about teletransporting, it took up a lot of energy of a Guardian. Yan Lin has almost died doing it once – was Irma really ready to risk that?_

_I asked her the same question. She simply raised an eyebrow as an alarm began to sound and looked at Cornelia, who was limp in my arms, semi-conscious with tears covering her face._

_I gave her a look of approval, so she continued to grip my arm. She then took hold of Cornelia's arm with her other hand, and I felt myself beginning to de-materialise. I could just hear Irma's scream of pressure as we pushed through the universe into a different part of the world – Candracar._

_I felt marble appear beneath my feet, and suddenly I could see clouds. We had arrived safely, I realised, as Cornelia was still twitching in my arms, and Irma was next to me. She looked drained, but forced a weak smile onto her face._

_I felt Cornelia shudder in my arms, so I cautiously stripped myself of my thick cardy, whilst still holding Cornelia, and managed to somehow gently pull it over her head so she was warm inside of it._

_"...Cornelia?" I asked, hoping for a reply. Hoping for her to laugh and make a remark about my fashion taste. Hoping for her to giggle and pull my head down and kiss me softly. Hoping for her to be alive._

_She didn't move. Her sudden burst of crying was over, it seemed – she now was either sleeping or had fallen unconscious from lack of food, sleep and water and continuous beating._

_I shook my head in despair. I was glad Irma had brought us here. I was eager that the Oracle could help me – at the minute, there were so many things wrong with Cornelia, and I wouldn't know where to start._

_Irma hobbled inside; clearly the lack of energy from teletransporting was indeed affecting her. I followed slowly with Cornelia._

_The Oracle was standing before us. He smiled as we entered the ethereal kingdom._

_"Irma, Caleb. You have done things today that show love, tact, and sheer nerve. I am so grateful for, and proud of, your actions. I am certain Cornelia will be too. I knew you would come here, so I had the decency to create a place of recovery for our Earth Guardian. It shall be called the Hale Parlour. I have many members of the congregation who will take care of and nurse her until she is healthy, and happy."_

_I was so lucky to know the Oracle. His kindness towards my girlfriend would make me forever in debt to him._

_Irma asked the Oracle breathlessly if she could visit the Aurameres and gain more energy. The Oracle granted her request, and let her go. Irms turned to Cornelia and hugged her, even though she was numb in my arms. She smiled at me and whispered:_

_"We did it."_

_n'aaaaaw! however, more problems happen in the next chapter...all is not what it seems ;)_

_missedthelasttrainhome  
_

_x  
_


	10. A Spanner In The Works

**_The Roots of Love_**

_A/N: Thanks for the response! Man, I LOVE WRITING THIS! Do you guys love reading it? :') I can't wait to round off the Phobos arc soon, and move on to a certain old hag ;) Before Elyon's coronation and the end of Phobos, a LOT is about to go down...READ ON GUYS! :D_

_Chapter 10 - A Spanner In The Works_

**_Caleb's POV_**

_Of course, when the Oracle said that he had created a parlour for my girlfriend, he was being serious. I carried Cornelia inside, and inwardly gasped. The room was spacious, airy, and warm. It was soft – the marble beneath my feet had been coated in some sort of feathery material which was dazzlingly white. The whole room was dazzlingly white. The centerpiece of the room was a huge stream running across the floor with lilies surrounding it._

_There was a long sofa with silk sheets thrown over it at one side of the room, and at the other was a four poster bed – which was clearly designed with Cornelia in mind, as fresh vines of ivy climbed up the sides of the bedposts and exquisite green material was used for curtains, which had been hand sewn from cotton plants._

_There was a mirror and a spa bath in the corner. I was happy for Cornelia to recover here. It would hopefully be luxurious for her._

_The Oracle left the room, leaving me in peace with her. He did make me aware that Yan Lin would be arriving within the hour._

_I lovingly laid Cornelia down onto the bed. I felt her body clench as I did so. I needed to know what had happened to her – and by the looks of it, I was about to find out._

_"Please don't hurt me," she said in a tiny voice, as she stirred from her sleep, "I'm only fifteen."_

_I gazed at her, and my face fell. She was still under the illusion that this was a dream and she was really just in the cell still. I had failed her..._

_"I'm not going to hurt you, Cornelia. That's a promise. I would rather die than see you hurt. I...I love you."_

_Her eyes opened gradually. Those brilliant, azure eyes – which were now slowly filling with water. I kissed her carefully - and that was when her eyes flickered up and gazed right into the centre of my eyes._

_"You saved me."_

_I frowned. She was smiling, even though tears were threatening to spill over her eyes again._

_"Look at yourself, Cornelia. I didn't save you. I simply tried to correct my mistake." I said, pacing around the room._

_Cornelia looked down at her body. She yelped._

_"It hurts!"_

_I returned to her side, immediately, grabbing her hand._

_"What? What hurts?"I asked frantically. Cornelia simply pulled my cardy slowly off her, and then removed her Abercrombie hoodie. She also unzipped her shorts and shuffled out of them._

_I saw her wounds for real then. There were at least 20 bloody snake bites. Her ankle was swollen and I knew it was broken. Her shoulder had a massive graze on, which was raw. Her ribs were bruised. Her once flawless legs had cuts covering them. Also, on the side of her face was a gash._

_I could have added up the terror of seeing all of those wounds, and it would not have equated with the terror of her chest wound._

_Just above her chest, her skin had been cut. I guessed Phobos had done it, by magic – he wasn't one for using a knife. Anyway, the cuts were in the shape of letters. Letters which spelled out a word._

_Guilty._

_Cornelia began to cry then. Her body was shaking as she stood in the Parlour in just her underwear. She was wracking with sobs. I stood there, shocked. Phobos had done some terrible things but this…this was evil._

_"I am guilty. I will always be guilty. I've sabotaged our plan to rescue Elyon. She will die and I will be guilty. The Rebellion will fall and I will be guilty. The Guardians will fail and I will be guilty. Millions of lives will be ruined, and I will be guilty. Phobos was right all along. I am useless. I don't deserve to be a Guardian."_

_I spun around and looked at her, shaking my head._

_"What are you talking about?" I said, closing the distance between us. My hands curled around her perfect face. "You were drugged into telling us. How can you be guilty when you had no control?"_

_Cornelia bit her lip._

_"It was horrible." She whispered, changing the subject. I reached down, and hugged her. It was a simple, warm, caring hug – and she seemed to relax in my arms. I then looked at her straight._

_"I need you to tell me exactly what happened to you, Cornelia. I need to know everything. Please." I instructed, holding her shoulders. She carefully nodded._

_"I was taken to the Palace, tied up and caged. Phobos and Cedric continually beat me. They threw me across the room and blasted the cage I was in so I was flung against walls. Cedric bit me, and Phobos used his powers against me. I was so weak that I couldn't do anything. I've broken my ankle and I think I snapped a rib. Miranda kicked me and punched me, and then bound and gagged me. Since I hadn't told them any information, she used a truth potion on me. I told her all about the attacks we had planned. They then beat me up some more, and put me in front of the sand pool so that I could tell you their entire proposal. Phobos secretly did the Guilty carving on my chest when I was unconscious." She explained, and sighed. I was shocked into silence, as salty tear droplets began to run down her face. She had done so much crying – and I hated it. "I want my mom. I want to go home. I'm tired of being a Guardian. We aren't going to defeat Phobos – it's a fact of life. Why can't I just go home? Why couldn't I have done this in the first place so I could have prevented this? Why me! Will and Taranee don't get attacked by five random perverts! Irma and Hay Lin don't get blasted to pieces by Phobos!" Cornelia continued, almost hysterical. I tried to ease her by holding down her hands, but then she frowned._

_Something was wrong. Very wrong._

_"This isn't right." She scorned quietly. I felt something drop inside of me._

_"What?" I replied, confused. I hoped that she didn't mean what I thought she meant._

_"Our relationship is wrong." she whispered. Within minutes, I was beginning to lose everything…_

_"Cornelia, what are you talking about? I love you. That is all that matters, right?" I said tenderly, trying to appear calm and reaching out for her hand… but she moved it away._

_"It doesn't matter. I…I can't be with you, Caleb. I love you, so, so, so much, but I can't risk the rebellion or the Guardians. I've already destroyed any hope of stopping the Coronation. If it wasn't for "us", that wouldn't have happened." She said, remorsefully. She avoided eye contact, her bruised eyes gazing at the floor. I felt my heart begin to thud in my chest. Was she serious about this!_

_"But…I love you, Cornelia Emily Hale. You are beyond beautiful, even with bruises and cuts and broken bones. You are so strong and you never give up. You are the most powerful and resilient guardian there has ever been, and you are so intelligent you leave me breathless. I could sit and watch you all day, I would lay down my life for you, and I would happily announce to the world how much you mean to me. I promised to keep you safe and I failed that, but you have to not let me go. You have to keep a hold on me because… you are the only thing that keeps me from forgetting who I am." I said, my voice cracking at the last sentence. She looked up tearfully._

_"It's too late," she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "It's too late. What's done is done and we didn't stop it. We didn't stop Phobos from finding out about the plans - but we can prevent him from finding out anything else – by both of us not being together. We just can't continue, Caleb." She explained, trying to gain confidence. She looked me straight in the eyes. "I do love you...just not enough to let Meridian's people's struggle go on mindlessly." She finished, and slid out of the bed that the Oracle had specifically carved with his mind for her. She went to leave, tearfully – but I flung out my arm and stopped her._

_"Cornelia!" I bellowed, and she turned around to face me. Tears were threatening to spill over her cheeks. "You aren't in the right state. Phobos just nearly killed you – you aren't thinking straight. You just need to get back into bed, and you'll come to your senses in the morning, okay, Baby?"_

_She shook her head. Tears ran._

_"No, Caleb…you're wrong. I can't put myself in danger anymore. I can't let down the Guardians. We're just teenagers! We need to be with our friends and concentrate on our missions, not be sidetracked by love. This…this isn't even love!" she bit her lip. I ran a hand through my hair. Now it was my turn for the tears to run. I couldn't help it. She was 100% serious on leaving me. She turned, yet again, to leave._

_"I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU!" I screamed at her. She spun around, slowly. Her hair, mussed and curly, still managed to shine after days of torture. Her complexion consisted of purple bruises and red scratches. Her eyes were leaking tears. I approached her. "No one will ever love you as much as I do." I whispered._

_Yet she still left._

_The tears were etched on her face, but she plainly shook her head and whispered "I'm sorry" as she backed out of the room. I dropped to the ground and felt myself shake with sobs. I couldn't breathe. I punched the floor so hard I felt blood run from my nails._

_Then I simply lay there on the floor. I lay there until I ran out of water to cry. It must have been atleast 2 hours._

_Suddenly, I heard footsteps. Running footsteps._

_I looked up, and saw Irma's head bob into view. She saw my grief-stricken form._

_"Get up, it's not real." She shouted, angrily._

_"What?" I asked, dejectedly. Irma grabbed my elbow and forced me to stand up._

_"WE DIDN'T RESCUE CORNELIA. WE RESCUED MIRANDA." She bellowed, hysterically._

_I stopped. Miranda, the shape-shifter. Miranda, the shape-shifter. MIRANDA, THE SHAPE SHIFTER. Oh sh-_

_Irma looked furious._

_"I've been shouting for you for ages! I had to deal with her on my own. Clearly she left you and then she simply transformed back to her usual form – but she obviously wasn't betting on me coming around the corner. She scuttled off – well, sprinted, actually – and managed to paste the Oracle, Tibor and Halinor together with her weird spider glue. I was calling for you so you could come and help me. After I had freed them, she turned up again, and started talking about how you weren't coming to help 'as you had just gotten some devastating news', and then told me that I had less than 24 hours to give Phobos what he wants to save the real Cornelia, then fled through a fold."_

_I processed the information. I concluded that:_

_Cornelia was still in Phobos' prison._

_I had failed to rescue her._

_I now had to give up the Rebellion._

_Miranda knew how much I cared for Cornelia._

_She would now relay this information to Phobos._

_Irma and I stared at each other, gutted._

_I swore._

Thankyou for all your reviews! I'm getting around to replying to them all today or tomorrow! Special thanks to Lexvan, favey reviewer! 3


	11. Harsh Reality

_**The Roots of Love**_

_A/N: fast update, as i got 2 reviews! this is a bit of a filler chapter, sorry :D thanks for the great reviews - if you've reviewed, here are your replies:_

_Lexvan - firstly, i can't thank you enough. your reviews mean so much to me! they are what every fanfictioner wants, and i feel lucky to get them on every chapter! so thanks! secondly, as soon as .?docid=22485561nelia gets back on her feet, i will be having a spotlight on will and matt. i agree with your review - cornelia is getting the short end of the stick. i'm only doing this because the fanfic is about cornelia and caleb's ups and downs - and soon, there's going to be several ups! :D your review on chapter 7 - oh, phobos is getting a hell of beating...or is he? :D i can't reveal all but i hope everyone will be pleased with the outcome! also, there will be some WITCH fights in the future. just not over irma and caleb's decision :) i hope that answers most of your questions, and keep reviewing! :D_

_Gerren - Thanks for your reviews also! If I were Cornelia, I would have killed myself by now! She's a strong girl :) and yes, miranda can be VERY sneaky._

_Supercyke - i'm updating fast - it would be faster if i got more reviews? ;D_

_Nourzy - wow, thanks! i'm keeping going, i promise! i aim to keep going until say, 50 chapters? :D_

_if i missed you out, remind me in a review and i'll get back to ya! :)  
_

_Chapter 11 - Harsh Reality  
_

_Julian's POV_

_My son returned with the Water Guardian in the early hours of the morning. He was frantic. He came into the Rebel Tavern, blazing – yelling about Miranda, Cornelia, and illusions. Irma was behind him, looking desperate._

_Will, Taranee and Hay Lin, who had been drifting off to sleep at the table we were all sitting at, jumped awake and immediately got involved._

_"What happened? Where's Cornelia?" Will asked, harried. Caleb hurled his sword to the floor and slumped down onto the table. Irma cleared her throat._

_"We rescued Cornelia pretty easily. We took her to Candracar, and Caleb put her in this really nice suite place…but it wasn't Cornelia. It was Miranda, in the form of Corny. She, as Cornelia, convinced Caleb that they were over, and managed to attack the Oracle. Luckily, the Oracle suffered minorly." The Brunette announced, sighing._

_Everyone's faces fell. I felt myself decline even further down my seat. My son looked like he wanted to die. I didn't blame him. Losing the one you love can affect you badly._

_That was, until Caleb stood up._

_"Dad?" he asked me, in a melancholic tone, "I need the document."_

_I felt my jaw drop._

_"You're kidding? Caleb there's no way -" I began crossly, only to be interrupted_  
_by Aldarn._

_"Get the document, Julian. It's the right decision. No more people are going to die. As soon as we get Cornelia, Phobos dies. Simple. As. Then we won't even need a rebellion!" Aldarn clarified, clearly._

_"No, I won't." I hissed. Caleb looked irate, Aldarn looked frustrated. "This isn't your decision to make, Caleb. You're too romantically involved. Of course you would give up the rebellion! But think about it – the state of a world, or one girl."_

_Caleb lashed out, but Vathek grabbed him so he didn't hit me. I was taken aback._

_"She is NOT just one girl, Dad! She's the most important, precious, beautiful and potent girl in the world. Infact – in every world. Just because we sign a document doesn't mean that we still can't rebel. I will still fight for our world, our cause, and Cornelia."_

_There was a long pause. Vathek slowly released Caleb from his grip. I stood up. Just before I could speak, there was a voice._

_"Excuse me, Julian, but I wanted to say something." It was the Air Guardian. "The guardians have decided not to hand over the Heart. Instead, we will hand over a perfect copy of it, with 10% of the Heart's power. This will make Phobos think he has the real heart. As soon as he gives us Cornelia, Will will eradicate Phobos' copy and we will leave. This plan will only work if you have the document. When it comes to the Coronation, we will form another Rebellion. Don't worry – we planned this out as soon as Cornelia spoke to us."_

_I looked at the Chinese Guardian. She was sweet – but had a steely look in her eye. I couldn't be the one to let down these girls, the rebels, and most of all - my son._

_"Okay."_

_Caleb's POV_

_Everything was go, go, go from then. I went into my chambers – I nearly broke down at the sight of Cornelia's clothes strewn across the room – and got changed into my armour. I stripped, then dressed myself in a vest and underwear, then a tunic and man-tights. Then I threw on my fighting blazer, grabbed my sword, and ran to meet the others. The Guardians weren't transformed – to make it look like they were giving up the real Heart. They had indeed created a fake amulet, which was perfect. Aldarn and Drake were wearing almost identical armour to mine, and my father was wearing a long coat. Vathek was staying back at the Infinite City, with Blunk._

_Will lead the way to the Castle. It was atleast one hour's walk there, so we took it slowly. We had over three hours until midday, which was the deadline. I tried to relax. I thought about Cornelia, as I walked. I wondered what she was doing. I wondered if her injuries were as bad as Miranda's...or worse. I wanted to kiss her...to hold her...to be with her..._

_"Caleb?"_

_I flipped around. It was Irma._

_"Yeah?" I asked, quietly. She caught up with my pace of walking._

_"I just wanted to say that...that...I'm sorry." She said, stammering._  
_"What? Why?" I responded, surprised._  
_"I dragged you into rescuing Cornelia...we were too obvious. If we had done it later, it may have been a...a...real rescue." She continued. I sighed._

_"Irma, don't. We did what we could. If it wasn't for Phobos' twistedness we would have her back."_

_She nodded._

_Minutes passed, slowly. Irma stopped talking, I picked up my walking pace, Will started giving out instructions, Julian argued, Aldarn made peace, Drake stayed quiet, Hay Lin almost cried, Taranee told everyone to shut up, and the walk continued._

_The Castle grew closer and closer, and it wasn't long until we were plodding up the path leading to the main entrance. A man was guarding the gates._

_He looked at us if we were scum._

_"Names and visiting purpose." He spat. Will ignored his tone._

_"Will Vandom, Irma Lair, Taranee Cook, Hay Lin, Caleb Hart, Aldarn Savelli, Drake Wood and Julian Hart. Here to make an exchange with Prince Phobos." She said, confidently. I admired Will. She was never afraid._

_The Guard let a smirk slip onto his lips._

_"I shall inform the Prince immediately." He sneered._

_Picking up a small amulet which was black and boxy, he spoke into it._

_"Your majesty, Prince Phobos. Your guests have arrived to make an exchange. They are waiting for you at the Courtyard."_

_He dropped the amulet back down, and smirked once again._

_"Enter the gates. There is a long marble pathway ahead. Wait halfway along it."_

_Suddenly, the Castle's tall, iron gates sprung open. We all trooped inside. I could feel sharks eating away at my insides. This was it._


	12. Rescuing Love

**The Roots of Love**

_A/N: Sorry for the delay! I was up all night last night writing a few new chapters - heavy Co/Cal guys! :D_

_Chapter 12: Rescuing Love_

**_Caleb's POV_**

_I looked around. The castle was as looming and gloomy as ever. The "courtyard" consisted of statues of mangled Meridianites, lines of black roses, and the long, straight marble pathway that lead directly up to the Castle's doors. We lined up along the path. I clutched the document in my left hand, and my sword was in my right. Next to me was Will, with the Heart of Candracar hidden deep inside of her, and the fake amulet in her hand. Irma, Taranee and Hay Lin stood next to her, shivering in the midday cold. Unlike Earth, which was sunny and warm at midday, Meridian was dark, cold and frosty._

_Aldarn, Drake and my Father were next to me. They too had swords and shields, for protection. Will nudged me, giving me a fright. The courtyard was silent, until she spoke._

_"Do whatever he says. Follow his instructions. As soon as you get Cornelia, run. Grab Irma, and teletransport. Just get out of here." She whispered to me._

_"I know. And if you get to her first, you do it. Just make sure it's her."_

_We both nodded. I felt a shiver of cold ripple across my skin. Everyone must have felt it, by the looks on their faces. It would have been pitch black, if it wasn't for the bright moonshine beaming onto us._

_Then there was silence. We all waited with bated breath…_

_Creak._

_The door to the Castle began to open. I stared as he emerged. The enemy. The rival. The tyrant._

_He walked out, grinning - dressed in his typical dark robes which enveloped his bony, angular body. Cedric followed him, in human form. Miranda pursued Cedric, also in her human form. Three guards came after her, and simply stood at the door, blocking any entrance. No sign of Cornelia._

_"I doubted whether you would arrive." Phobos said, "But I'm so glad you have."_

_His voice boomed across the distance in between us – which must have been atleast 60 metres._

_"We've arrived, Phobos. We've also brought the things you asked for. However, I don't see what we asked for in return." Will spat._

_"Oh? You brought them? I am shocked. I was prepared for a fight. I am disappointed." Phobos laughed. None of us joined in._

_"Just give us Cornelia, and we'll give you what you need." I bellowed. Phobos stopped laughing._

_"No, no. You give me what I want, and then I'll give you Cornelia. I know what you lot are like." He demanded._

_"Fine," Will said angrily. She surged forward from our line, with the fake heart. She walked proudly up to Phobos and dumped it at his feet._

_"Do me a favour," she hissed, "don't destroy the universe."_

_It was very good acting. She shook her head and chewed on her lip as she said it, looking stressed. She then flipped around and stormed back to our side. It was now my turn._

_I strode forward. Phobos looked ecstatic with the Heart. He watched gleefully as I handed the document to Miranda. She nodded – her words were "it's legitimate"._

_I stood face to face with Phobos._

_"Give me Cornelia, now."_

_Phobos spun to face his guards._

_"Bring out the girl." He ordered, clutching onto his new toys. He read the document over and over again, his smile growing every time._

_Whilst the Guards had disappeared, he muttered to me._

_"I will be unstoppable. No one will ever bring me down." His face was a picture. I didn't even take of notice of him – I just simply stared at the doors._

_They crashed open. The guards reappeared – but one of them was holding something so fragile, something so delicate, something so weak._

_My Cornelia._

_She was unconscious. She wasn't even trying to fight against the Guards grip under her armpits. She simply hung there._

_I sprinted toward the guard. Cornelia clearly didn't hear my heavy footfalls. The guard dumped her at my feet, and I immediately let my arms wind around her. She was cold and shivering. She looked pretty similar to Miranda's clone, except there were dark circles under her eyes. I pulled her delicate form up with one hand on her waist and one hand under her armpit. Her eyes flickered open at my touch and blinked. She swayed slightly, so bent down and picked her up. She was light, and thinner than I had ever remembered her being. I wondered when she had eaten last. Her face told me it was a while ago. I gazed at her wan expression. Her eyes were shut, but she seemed as if she was anticipating being attacked or something. I noticed her injuries – a deep cut across her face, a broken foot, or maybe leg. The way she was curled up symbolized broken ribs and torn ligaments. Her face was bruised and pale. I didn't realize that my hand had slipped up to her face and was caressing her tangled hair. I whispered into her ear:_

_"I am not going to lose you."_

_She didn't move. I wasn't expecting an answer, just hoping for one. I wanted to know that it was her. I stopped, and looked down. Those azure eyes of purity and compassion were still open. There was a chance that she was okay._

_"Caleb, take Corny and go!"_

_Will ran past me, taking off into the air and flying full speed at Phobos – closely followed by Hay Lin and Taranee. Clearly they had decided to get Phobos and his minions while they had the chance. I kicked into action and ran with Cornelia to where Irma was standing, out of harm's way._

_Aldarn, Drake and my Father all roared as they followed the 3 guardians towards Phobos. I smiled. They were so dedicated._

_It all happened so quickly. Irma yelled for Blunk to come and open a fold, and while we waited for him at the bottom of the Courtyard, a fight broke out between our side and Phobos'. We watched helplessly as Will shot at Phobos with Quintessence, Taranee took on Cedric with her flames and Hay Lin blew down Miranda. The Rebels were joining in too._

_Suddenly, Phobos stopped defending himself against Will and threw a ball of dark magic out into the small crowd._

_The ball flew._

_And flew._

_And flew._

_And then proceeded to hit my Father directly in the chest._

_I froze. Cornelia slipped from my arms. She clambered to the floor and passed out. Irma raised her fist and punched Miranda in the face. Taranee and Hay Lin stopped attacking Cedric. Will turned pale. Aldarn and Drake dropped their swords, as Julian Hart dropped to the ground, stone cold._

You likey? Reviews = Love! 3_  
_


	13. Cold Case Love

**_The Roots of Love_**

_A/N: Sorry for the slow update - but exam season is nearly over! As of June 28th, I will be free of exams and I'll post the final chapters of the Phobos Arc soon! Not long to go, bitchesssssss. Then we'll have a couple of a turns in the story, and a certain old guardian will begin a rampage..._

_Thankyou all for the lovely reviews and messages. I couldn't appreciate them more. I will reply to every one of you - please keep up the good response! I have tears in my eyes when I think that some of you read my stories and feel the way about them that I do. This is a bit of a filler chapter, but it's necessary - exploring emotional sides of Cornelia, Caleb, Will and Matt. The first part - directly below, is a bit of narrative explaining what has happened in between the chapters. Enjoy!_

_Chapter 12: Cold Case Love_

_A week had passed. Cornelia had returned home quickly, absorbing her Astral Drop. Her injuries had cleared up within days, thanks to The Mage. Luckily for Cornelia, she had received concussion and amnesia sometime during her ordeal; therefore she couldn't remember most of it._

_Will, Taranee, Hay Lin and Irma had been completely supportive of Cornelia. They were glad the clueless Astral Drop was now gone and they had their Earth Guardian back._

_The Mage had also cast a spell on the Infinite City so that it was hidden from anyone who was not part of the Rebellion, so that Cedric couldn't invade again._

_Cornelia hadn't seen Caleb for that whole week. After he had rescued her, all she could remember was him giving her to Irma and then running off. She was so worried. Caleb could be anywhere – and considering his state of mind at that moment in time, alone time probably wasn't a good thing._

_Then, at 2:30am one night, she heard it._

_The soft knocking on her window._

_Cornelia ran to the window, pulled back the curtains, and saw Caleb standing there, in the pouring rain. She pushed up the bottom window and let him clamber inside._

_There was an awkward silence as Caleb removed his soaking wet coat and sweater underneath, so that he was standing in her bedroom in his tight-fitting vest, trousers and boots._

_Cornelia's POV_

_"How have you been?" I asked shyly, realising I was dressed in a short, thin pink pixie-style nightdress. Caleb didn't seem to notice._

_"I would say that I've been good but it would be a lie." Caleb replied, looking at the floor._

_There was another silence. I didn't know what to say._

_"I feel terrible for letting Irma take you to the Mage and letting your friends look after you. It should have been me." He said, pacing across the room. I rubbed my eyes sleepily. "I had to get away. There was a job I needed to do myself."_

_I nodded. He looked so...distant._

_"Caleb...I'm sorry."_

_Caleb looked me in the eye._

_"What are you sorry for Cornelia? This whole thing was my fault in the first place. If I hadn't left you on your own, this would be a completely different situation."_

_I sat down on my double bed._

_"There's so much we need to talk about." I said, sighing._

_Caleb joined me, shedding his boots._

_"You're right. Taranee sent me some telepathic report on you. I didn't get most of it, it was like an essay. What I did get, however, is that you have amnesia."_

_"Yeah. I don't remember anything before you were holding me in your arms. Which I guess is fortunate – it lets me move on."_

_Caleb nodded and shuffled closer to me. We both sat, cross-legged, opposite each other._

_"Where did you go?" I asked tentatively._

_"I went to the South of Meridian. I grew up there. I found our old home. It's as if the inhabitants have preserved it – my room is the same as it was when I was 7 year old. I collected his medals and photos and his sword, and then returned to Meridian city. We cremated him. It was what he wanted...but we're having a proper funeral in Meridian next week. I'll invite all of the Rebels, the Guardians, his old friends from the old rebellion and the Underwater Mines and a couple of my distant cousins."_

_Caleb was choking up._

_But then again, so would I if my father was brutally murdered in front of my eyes._

_I leant forwards, and subtly opened my arms. He fell into me and we wrapped our arms around each other. Complete and utter silence. Complete and utter adoration._

_We were both vulnerable. Both broken. Yet somehow, we had to be strong._

_"It's the coronation next week. Will wants to have a meeting this weekend...will you come with me?" I asked tentatively. There was a pause._

_"I'm going to avenge my Father, honey. Of course I'll be there. We need a new, solid plan to defeat Phobos and save Elyon." He said, loosening his grip on me._

_He planted a sweet kiss on my lips._

_"I'm so glad you're safe. It was hell without you."_

_I smiled. My first smile in a while, I guessed._

_"Now," Caleb announced, "you need to go to sleep."_

_I sighed. The smile disappeared. Caleb was hiding something. Probably something to do with the past week's events._

_"I don't want to. I want to stay with you." I pleaded, my eyes growing._

_Caleb simply shook his head, and kissed me huskily. Then, he grabbed his boots and coat, and went to leave._

_"When will you come back?" I asked._

_"When I can't function without you," He said, and with a flirtatious smile, left my room, via window, "and I'm pretty sure that means soon."_

_I woke up later on that morning, and dressed for school in a white, lacy top, and black skinny jeans from FCUK. Then, I knotted my hair into a ponytail, applied some subtle makeup, grabbed a fresh Belgian waffle from the counter in the kitchen, and left for my first day back at school._

_School was average. I couldn't stop thinking about Caleb, which distracted me. Algebra was the best lesson of the day – I managed to fly through a pop quiz effortlessly._

_However, as the final bell of the day rang out, the day became interesting._

_Will had explained to me in our lesson of French earlier on in the day about how she was having difficulties with Matt. She told me about how, after she had told him that she loved him (see chapter one!), he hadn't spoken to her until yesterday, in which he asked if they could talk today, and then left._

_Will was shaking as she told me. She explained how she loved him more than anyone, but she had been doing a lot of thinking – and realised that if they were to date, Will couldn't not tell him about WITCH._

_Which left my best friend in a dilemma – should she go with her feelings and tell him how she felt and ask if he felt the same way, or should she go with her head and not endanger someone who she loved so much by not telling him and therefore not involving him in WITCH?_

_We were all walking home. Hay Lin and Taranee were listening to Hay's iPod, Irma was telling me all about how the Grumper Sisters tripped over each other in Physical Ed, and Will was silent._

_That was until we saw the figure of Matt hanging around a corner._

_"It's Matt! What do I do?" Will hissed, whilst smiling casually. I replied:_

_"Don't freak. Just go with the flo, listen to what he has to say."_

_Will nodded, and picked up her walking pace to catch up with him._

_We all watched hesitantly._

_Will's POV_

_"Matt!" I called, bouncing over towards him (even though inside I was panicking)._

_"Oh, hey Will. I'm glad you're here, we should talk." He replied, smiling at me. God, he was so gorgeous. So beautiful. His hair was adorable. And his smile was – oh God, it's your turn to speak, Will!_

_"So, um, I guess you wanted to talk about what I said to you a bit ago?" I asked, tentatively._

_Matt nodded._

_"Yeah, I wanted to know if you were 100% serious?"_

_I stopped._

_"100% serious? What do you mean?" I asked, wringing my hands nervously. He shook the dark chocolate bangs out of his face._

_"I mean, if you really do love me, will you dump me straight away, or will you hide things from me, or lie? Stuff like that. You see, I really like you, but I don't know whether I should commit to a relationship...I've been hurt by girls before so I just need to make sure." Matt explained, his eyes melting my heart._

_However, I could feel regret forming in my stomach. Deep in the pits._

_"I...I don't know," I said, unsure._

_"Will, please. Do you love me, or don't you? It's simple. You told me two weeks ago that you did love me. I kinda need to double check whether you still feel the same."_

_I felt myself flush. This was awkward. I didn't know how to say what I wanted to say._

_"Will?"_

_Suddenly, my legs kicked into action. I felt my arms twitch and begin to pump as my legs carried me away from Matt. I heard him shouting in the distance as I kept running, but I didn't stop._

_I couldn't tell him that I was "100% sure". Because, like I said – I was having doubts._

_So I ran._

_Okay, I have a new system. If you want spoilers, review me. I'll then PM you back with a list of upcoming chapters. Trust me, I'm currently writing the chapter before the two part finale of arc one, YES LADS!_

_missedthelasttrainhome_

_xxxxxxxxx  
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	14. ClashCrash

The Roots of Love

A/N: Sorry for the wait guys! Violence and swearing themes. Again, sorry. I'm not fully happy with this chapter, it seems...out of place for the characters. But it's an integral cog that needed to be written, so here wah go.

Chapter 14: Clash/Crash

_Cornelia's POV_

_Everyone was acting weird around me. Hay Lin kept looking at me with this really guilty face – and her eyes would well up whenever she spoke. Taranee always looked regretful and full of remorse. Irma didn't say much around me. Will tried to hide whatever she was hiding...but she failed. I was getting irritated by their secrecy. Whatever had happened in the past week, that I couldn't remember, seemed to have affected them more than it did me?_

_We all trooped to Shell Cave after school. Will was silent._

_"Will?" I asked, "what's up?"_

_She shook her head._

_"I've ruined...everything."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_And so, Will explained her fiasco with Matt. Of how she had freaked out and ran away, scared that she would mess up. Except now, my red head pal was convinced she already had messed up her chances with him._

_"Will, of course you haven't ruined anything! Matt is probably feeling the same way you are. He's probably stunned after your outburst of love declaration for him! Both of you are clearly in love with each other – you wouldn't be making silly little errors which can easily be avoided if you weren't so blinded by your feelings." I explained._

_Suddenly, Irma flipped around in front of us._

_"Will you two ever shut up about your love lives? I'm so sick of it!"_

_I glanced at Will, who looked shocked._

_"Irma...this is important. I'm sorry if you feel that way, though." She replied, after an awkward pause._

_"No! The three of us are darn tired of it! Never did I get a thank you from you, Cornelia. I tried to save your ass in Meridian! Nope, no thanks whatsoever. Instead, you just act miserable because you miss Caleb!"_

_I felt anger swell inside of me._

_"Listen up, Irma. I had concussion for a week and now I have amnesia - so I can't remember what happened. I'm dying to know what happened, but I haven't a clue. Therefore, if you ever criticize me for not thanking you, I apologize for not being able to remember what you did for me!"_

_Taranee cocked her head._

_"Cornelia, give it a rest. We all know what happened, no need to remind us."_

_I felt Will whisper to me, trying to calm me down, but even she was shaking with fury._

_"REMIND YOU? YOU DON'T WANT ME TO REMIND YOU?" I screamed. Taranee raised her eyebrows._

_"No, I don't. We've all been through bad spots but because you get so much attention, yours seems worse than ours."_

_I lunged at Taranee. She dropped to the ground as I floored her, yelling out in pain._

_"I AM NOT AN ATTENTION SEEKER, I WAS ATTACKED!" I screeched._

_Taranee soon regained her balance, and threw me off her. I felt myself hit a rock – Shell Cave was pretty rocky, unfortunately._

_I scrambled off the rock and dived at her ankles. Grabbing them with a harsh force, I tugged her down to the floor again. Then, I slapped her in the face._

_"I WAS ATTACKED. EFFING ATTACKED!"_

_Next, I felt Will drag me off her, clearly stepping in. Anger made blood rush through my ears – preventing me from hearing what Will was exclaiming. I wanted to get Taranee. She could be heartless sometimes – but this was simply twisted._

_Immediately, Irma jumped in and took hold of Taranee._

_"You have some cheek, Will Vandom. Telling Cornelia to hold off when you sparked this off. If it wasn't for you and your pathetic boyfriend then we would all be fine!" she shouted, helping Tara stand to her feet. Will jerked._

_"What did you just call him?" she whispered. Irma raised an eyebrow, causing Will to pounce onto her._

_Another fight ensued. All this time, Hay Lin had tried to calm everyone down, but was having no success. I looked across at our group of so called 'best friends', ripping the hell out of each other._

_Irma was pulling at Will's hair, who was repeatedly slamming her foot into Irma's knee. It wasn't a pretty sight. Taranee dived at Will – but Hay Lin raised her hands and carefully blew Taranee off Will._

_"Oh, so we're using powers now, are we?" Taranee said cockily, before yelling: "FIRE!"_

_Her hands blew up and became explosive. Fire was at her fingertips, ready to strike. Irma raised an eyebrow and readied her power over water. Will's hands crackled with electricity. Hay Lin angrily conjured up wind._

_I backed away slowly. Something in my mind...or in my memory...didn't want to fight. Something was tired. Something was scared._

_I felt my feet begin to pound beneath me, and the next thing I knew, I was sprinting away from them. I couldn't stand to be near them. They slowly disappeared out of view as I exited the beach and reached the sandy dunes nearby._

_I delved into my pocket and found my blackberry. I picked it up and rang the only person in the world I wanted to speak to._

_"Cornelia? You okay?"_

_"Caleb!"_

_I loved Caleb and his many ways. The way his voice made everything better. The way he always assumed something was up. The way his face melted when he saw me. The way he would drop his sword or shield and run and pick me up. The way, when the moment was right, he would kiss me like he'd never kissed me before._

_"You didn't answer my question, beautiful." He said. I could hear the faint resonance of concern in his voice._

_"I'm not okay. I don't know...we went to Shell Beach to practise for the Coronation, but Irma and I got into a bit of an argument. Then Will stepped in and Irma got really angry at Will. Taranee joined Irma, and Hay Lin joined Will. They started getting really violent and using their powers against each other so I ran. I don't know why...I remembered being scared of fighting or something. I'm sure it's to do with the amnesia. But I ran from them because, as I said, it's pretty brutal in there."_

_There was no answer._

_"Caleb? Caleb!" I asked. The phone was dead. I sighed._

_Suddenly, there was a swoosh! noise from behind me. I spun around to see a crackling portal, and emerging from it, was Caleb. His eyes landed on me immediately._

_"I came straight away," he explained, stepping out towards me from the portal. As he did usually, he threw his sword to the sandy dunes and wrapped his arms around my waist and hoisted me into the air. I laughed as he pivoted, swinging me around in the air. He lowered me slowly, taking the time to execute some ballroom dancing lifts. I savoured the moment, taking in every single detail._

_"You make everything better, you know?" I said, as he let my feet drop onto the sand. I was dizzy now, and he noticed that, leaning in and kissing my forehead smoothly._

_"No, Cornelia. You do. I've been upset all day as it's my Dad's funeral in less than two days...then I speak to you and I'm just so happy."_

_I beamed._

_"So, where are the rest of WITCH?" Caleb asked, looking worried._

_"I have no idea, and to be honest, I'm not that fussed..." I trailed off, staring ahead._

_Caleb didn't realise it until I began to shake._

_"What? Cornelia, why are you – oh my..."_

_We both stood and stared at the portal, which showed the outline of Cedric and his men charging towards us. The portals weren't long at all – which meant Cedric would reach us any minute now._

* * *

_that was huuuuge! reviews are loved! chuck me one and a fast update will be returned! also, dudes, i'm hittin' america in less than a week, so the updates will be stalled soon, but no worries - I'LL BE BACK!_


	15. Collision

_**The Roots of Love**_

_A/N: Sorry for the delay - been partying in America :D it was extremely fun, but I didn't find any WITCH merchandise *cries*. I have nearly 30 reviews! EXCITEMENT. Keep it coming; according to my stats, I had 36 visitors last month! I WANT 36 REVIEWS. Also, I'm in the middle of writing a Merlin fanfiction, which will be uploaded speedily. Merlin BBC that is. Agh. Love. I'm also writing a WillKat fanfiction...I don't know what it will be categorized under, but you'll hear about it, kay? :D Aaaaaand, I'm in progress of writing a Little Mermaid fanfic. Ariel/Eric, of course. Goshies. Do I have an obsession with royalty? 'Course not ;) Enjoy the latest installment, I'll be back with more soon! ps. I wrote like 48 pages on holiday of the story. I actually finished this whole Phobos arc, which will take us up to chapter 20! Excitement lies ahead 3_

Chapter 15: Collision

_Caleb grabbed my hand and picked up his sword with the other. We began to run across the edge of the cliffs, our feet racing through the sandy dunes. We sprinted - Caleb was faster than me, but as our hands were still entwined, I was feeding off his speed._

_We reached the end of the cliff._

_"How do we get down?" Caleb yelled, pointing towards the beach at the bottom of the cliffs._

_"ROAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!"_

_We both glanced at each other as we heard Cedric's trademark call echo from behind us._

_"The cave isn't that high! If we jump we probably won't injure ourselves!" I said, panicking. I knew for certain that we would._

_Caleb nodded and gripped my hand tighter. We took a step back, and then did running jumps off the cliffs. I felt myself tumbling towards the ground, so I extended an arm out, closed my eyes, and hoped for some sort of soft landing..._

_"You absolute genius!"_

_I opened my eyes. My hand had, naturally, controlled the earth, and moulded us a soft bed made out of sand. Caleb grinned. I looked up, and saw Cedric and his men at the top of the cliff, staring at us._

_"Dammit!" I cried out. Caleb followed my gaze, and saw the enemies also. He grabbed my hand._

_"Quick, the sea!"_

_No, no, no. We slowly waded out into the cold water, but already I could feel my heart thumping in my chest. Panic was rising, nerves were pumping, and fear was escalating._

_Caleb dove into the waves before I could say anything, he gestured for me to follow. I stood there, chest deep in the ocean. I glanced behind – Cedric and his men were climbing down the cliff!_

_"Caleb!"_

_Caleb stopped swimming and flipped around. He immediately swam back._

_"What?" he said, harried._

_"I...I can't swim." I whispered. _

_A lop-sided smile of adoration grew on my boyfriend's face._

_"You are the cutest," he announced, taking hold of my waist and putting me on his back, "now, stay there and try your hardest not to fall off."_

_He swam out, doing breast-stroke, as far as he could within the next two minutes. I clung to him, my salty hair and jeans that were even skinnier than their normal skinny size due to them being sopping wet distracting me._

_"!"_

_Caleb jerked, and I slipped off his back. I slipped to the floor of the sea, and tried to scramble back up, but the current wouldn't let me. I felt myself prepare to be washed away, until a familiar hand hooked onto mine and lifted me back out._

_It reminded me of when we first met._

_He pulled me out and I knew straight away he was thinking the same thing that I was. He looked straight into my eyes and ran a hand through my soaking wet hair. I released a breath that I didn't know I was holding in. His arm jumped to my back, supporting me, and the other reached far into his hair and brushed it backwards. A small smile grew on his face, and likewise, I let a grin form. His hands slipped to my bum and picked me up, and I felt the need to wrap my legs around him. This was hot. So hot. What I had always wanted – to go to a beach with a loving boyfriend and feel the sunshine in our faces and rub our salty skin against each other as we kissed._

_Suddenly, Caleb pushed me off him._

_"Cedric is close!" he warned me. I sent around a telepathic message which I hoped Taranee would receive._

_"**Guys, it's me. If you haven't stopped fighting, stop now. Caleb and I are in trouble. A portal opened about ten minutes ago at the top of the cliffs, and Cedric has come through. He has an army. I'm guessing Phobos knows about the fake heart. Anyway, we need immediate help!"**_

_Caleb took us further out to sea, so we were far away from the marina._

_"If it wasn't for the Earth Guardian and the Rebel Leader! My favourite two people! I should warn you, Phobos isn't happy at all with you – after you swine gave him a fake heart!" Cedric bellowed at us. Caleb grew angry next to me._

_"Unfortunately, pal, it was necessary – considering you nearly murdered my girlfriend and gave her amnesia, I'm sure not giving you a power source that you will destroy the world with doesn't really matter." He retaliated. I let out a small laugh, wishing for about the millionth time that I could remember what had happened to me._

_"You're right – it doesn't matter anymore. What does matter, however, is that you are all eliminated before Phobos' coronation." Cedric said, letting out a raw laugh. I shot an anxious look at Caleb._

_"Phobos' coronation! Don't you mean Elyon's?" I yelled, confused. Cedric laughed even harder._

_"No, I mean Phobos!" he yelled back, then ordered the Lurdens to attack._

_The Army of Lurdens began to swim out to where we were. I shivered, next to Caleb. He shook his drenched hair and removed his shirt. Man, his chest was perfection: porcelain skin with his muscles and rib cage easily visible. He squeezed out the shirt and gave it to me. I held it to my chest as the Lurdens closed in on us._

_"GUARDIANS, UNITE!"_

_I heard Will's voice shout the trademark phrase miles out to sea and felt something explode inside of me._

_I leaped into the air and gladly accepted the stream of earth power as it shed my clothes and dressed me in my Guardian uniform. Unfortunately, my hair was still wet._

_I flew to the water level and grabbed Caleb. I flew us into the air and onto the far edge of the shore. A lurden immediately crept towards us, but I held out my hand and turned it into pollen. Will and Hay Lin flew in, just in time, and shot out their powers. They took down atleast half of the Lurdens, and Hay Lin managed to get sly shots at Cedric when he wasn't looking. Irma used the sea as her tool, and turned it into a personal tsunami for the Lurdens. They began to drown and scream from the lack of oxygen. We were winning._

_Suddenly, Cedric spun around. He lifted up his tail and screamed. He dived into the water and launched himself onto Irma. Irma squealed and tried to fly, but he grabbed her wings and threw her far across the beach. I watched, petrified, as she landed against a rock with a dull thud._

_Hay Lin went running towards her, but Cedric managed to spin around so fast his tail caught her off guard and sent her crashing to the ground. She moaned out in pain._

_Then, Cedric grabbed a Lurden by the neck and thrusted him at Taranee. The Lurden cornered her and began to claw at her. I saw flames engulf them both as Taranee tried to defend herself._

_Will, Caleb and I were the only remaining unattacked warriors. Caleb quickly grabbed a hold of me and began to swim to the shore quickly, with one hand around my waist, the other drawing broad circles in the water._

_We reached the shore in no time, where Cedric was bellowing at a Lurden. He noticed our arrival and drove towards us._

_"Hello Cornelia," he hissed, "here to be kidnapped for the third time?"_

_I felt anger seep through my bones. I opened my palms and let a large, mossy vine grow up the side of his body, and then let it wrap around his neck. Cedric looked uncomfortable._

_"Actually, the first time I wasn't kidnapped, I was beaten up and left for dead. Get your facts right, Snake Boy. Oh, and, if you say or do one more thing to my friends, that vine will tighten around your neck, and you will die."_

_Cedric looked furious, but said nothing. He snarled and moved away, back to the portal. All of the Lurdens followed him obediently. They passed through the portal._

_"Fantastic, Corny, fantastic! You saved our ass' there!" Will congratulated me, bounding over immediately. "But we have bigger fish to fry – Taranee, Irma and Hay Lin!"_

_The three of us ran to find them. Taranee was slumped on the ground. She smiled at us weakly._

_"I'm fine...don't fret...guys. Just need to...catch my...breath." she replied to our shouts and calls._

_Will helped her to her feet and let her rest on a patch of dry sand. We found Hay Lin curled up on the floor, complaining of her knee. Apparently it was in deep pain. Caleb offered to carry her back home, but she refused and said she would get up and fly. Irma said the same._

_Another fight over. Hopefully, we were only one step away from finding Elyon and saving her._

_We all traipsed back to Hay Lin's for a meeting. Situated in her basement, the atmosphere was tense._

_"We need a full new plan for the Coronation. We need it quick, too." Will announced. Caleb nodded._

_"I had an idea that we could somehow dig our way into the castle, using your powers. Cornelia would dig the tunnels; Taranee would light up the tunnels. Irma could weaken any hard soil for Cornelia with her water power. Hay Lin would clear a pathway, by removing piles of soil. Will, you would oversee everything."_

_I had to admit – it was even better than our original plan!_

_We all sat deep in thought. Will was the first to speak._

_"Personally? I think it's a well thought-out plan, and it gives us a real shot!"_

_We all discussed the plan and decided to go for it. I was full of doubt – but didn't mention it. Hopefully I would be able to do the job...but something inside of me screamed that I wasn't capable._

_Caleb then stood up to leave._

_"It's my father's funeral tomorrow...will you all be able to come? Because I –"_

_I stood up immediately, and wrapped my arms around his neck._

_"I wouldn't miss it for the world." I said, and Caleb's eyes shone with tears._

_No one said anything as we kissed passionately._

_Next chapter will be posted soon! If I think there isn't adequate reviews, I'll make you guys waaaait...when it's 5 chapters away from big happenings! Actually...make that 4;) REVIEW OR YOU DIE! muahahah. also follow me on twitter: unaisnotorious :)_

_xxxxxx  
_


	16. Julian's Funeral

The Roots of Love

Julian's Funeral

Thursday. A dull, gloomy day – especially for a funeral.

The morning itself was strange. The five of us met at Will's house and got ready. Usually we would be blasting music when we were preparing to go out somewhere and eating sweets and watching Boy Comet – but today we were all simply getting ready in silence, mainly because of the sadness we all bore for Caleb's Father, but also because of the fact that things were still tense after the Shell Cave incident.

Will was wearing a simple scarlet dress and matching feather hat. She looked simple and mature. Irma had gone for navy number, in taffeta with a harmonizing coatdress, for that added formal look. Taranee was wearing a deep brown dress with a cream corsage and matching flowers for her hair, which made her look much older than she was. Even Hay Lin had ditched her pigtails and goggles for a grey blazer, grey dress, and boots to match.

Will blow dried her hair so it was in a bouncy bob, as usual. Irma left hers in it's usual flicky mess – I had to stop myself from yelling at her to make an effort. Taranee's shiny crop was threaded with flowers and Hay Lin left her hair dangling down her back in a straight manner.

For my outfit, the last thing I considered was fashion. I wanted to look classy and dignified, not fashionable and outlandish. So I went for a simple but beautiful outfit.

I had gone for a black dress. It was strapless and plain, but hugged each curve of my body. Quite flattering, really. I left my hair damp the night before and therefore this morning I awoke to a pile of soft, blonde waves. Paired with black heels and pearls, I hoped it was a fitting tribute to Julian.

When we were ready, we crept out of my apartment block and Will opened a fold. We found ourselves in the Infinite City.

"Whereabouts are we?" Hay Lin asked, spinning around. I vaguely noticed the corridors from my short stay here with Caleb. Wow, that felt like such a long time ago.

"I think we need to head up there – it's where the hall is." I murmured.

Our heels clicked and tapped along the emerald flooring as we made our way there. Suddenly, we were faced with a crowd.

At the back of the crowd, there were people who did not know Julian, but were there for support. There was line upon line of peasants, homeless, sick, and poor, who had obviously came to pay their respects to someone who had done so much for them.

We managed to weave through some people, but it was pretty busy, and we weren't sure which direction to head in, so the scene was getting pretty hectic. However, all of a sudden, someone noticed us.

"It's the Guardians!" an unknown voice piped up.

And then, the crowds parted. Men and women moved out of the way for us, they smiled and bowed their heads – it was absurd.

We thanked everyone as we progressed to the head of the crowds and found our friends – specifically, Caleb.

I saw him before he noticed me. He had swapped his brown warrior coat and chinos and boots for a black military coat, black tight trousers and shining black leather shoes. His sword was in his hand – but was encased in a silver cover, decorated with Meridianite writing.

"Someone looks handsome," I called gently, as I stood behind him. Caleb, who had been talking to Aldarn and Vathek, spun around. He gave them a small nod then left them. I watched him approach me - his eyes glazed with unshed tears. My arms locked around his neck.

"You're stunning," he replied, "always so stunning."

I could tell he was upset. It was as if he was hugging me but he wasn't really. In his mind he was probably with his Father.

I looked him in the eyes.

"Your Dad would have loved this." I whispered, cupping his cheek. I glanced around the hall, decorated beautifully with white and brown lilies. A large portrait of Julian was covering the back wall, where his coffin lay. A stream of water calmly ran down the middle of the room and many of the guests who were filing inside looked upset or touched by the serene atmosphere.

"I...I...I'm not ready to say goodbye, Cornelia." Caleb blurted out. He looked as if he was on the verge of a breakdown.

"Of course you aren't. Your Father was murdered by an evil man, in a shock circumstance. In these cases, you won't be ready to say goodbye for a long time - but I promise you that we will show your Dad that he died in honour. He died on the victorious side."

Caleb looked broken.

"I'll be right back, I just need a - a - a moment." He whispered. I tried to hold onto his hand, but he ran outside, letting go of my grasp.

So, WITCH stepped in.

We distracted the guests while Caleb took his time by performing a tribute to Julian - we quickly transformed out of sight, then appeared in front of the guests. Firstly, Will flew to the centre of the room and zapped all energy from it. Everybody gasped as the room was plunged into darkness. Taranee then lit a small, smouldering flame in her hands, and we gathered together and addressed everybody. The light of the tiny flame mesmerised the crowds – indicating that it was Julian's soul – burning continuously. Will spoke quiet words about our lost veteran. Irma wished he could have seen the day that Meridian was saved. Taranee highlighted his successes and the fact that we were all lucky to have met such a courageous man. I whispered that Julian was a strong man who had achieved great things. Hay Lin smiled about his memories.

Then, we each used our powers for a memorial. We all raised our hands to the top of the room, and carefully carved a stained glass window into the wall. It was beautiful to watch. The loving image beamed down on us as we finished – it was an elegant depiction of Julian with a sword, with the words "Mentality of a warrior, heart of a saviour," stained into a glass panel in Meridianite lettering.

Everybody clapped as we finished the memorial. We received a standing ovation also, which was embarrassingly sweet of the guests.

Before we knew it, Caleb had rejoined us. I watched him stride up the aisle with ease – clearly calm after his panic earlier - and tenderly smiling at all of the guests who had admired and loved his father. He spoke to the crowd about his father affectionately, recalling memories and precious moments. At times, he showed passion for the Rebellion and even his fury and hatred for Phobos shone through.

Then, we had moments of silence, and the Mage spoke about the dead Rebel. Prayers were made, candles were lit, and the service ended.

However, the end was not smooth. Blunk crashed through the doors of the hall, panting, as everyone was getting up to leave.

"CALEB! CALEB!" he screamed. I snapped around to look at him. How inconsiderate of the little rat...

"Rebel friends say to Blunk to say to you that big carriages at castle! Big dresses and real people! Blunk didn't understand but rebel friend whispered that it was a Code Sunshine."

I watched, confused, as Caleb's jaw dropped.

"NOW? You mean Code Sunshine is now?" he enquired briskly, evidently stunned.

"That's what big rebel friend said." Blunk sniffed.

Caleb turned to the congregation – he had every pair of eyes on him.

"Code Sunshine is now. All rebels and all warriors. Code Sunshine." He stated hesitantly. A gasp ran through the crowd.

Caleb stepped off his podium, and reached for his sword. Pandemonium broke out – every rebel was running out of the doors, grabbing their armour or driving their shields into the air.

I grabbed Caleb's arm as he started to walk off in the other direction.

"What is a Code Sunshine?" I shouted, over the noise of everyone else bellowing.

"Oh, god. I should have told you. Code Sunshine means the Coronation." He replied.

I froze.

It was time to save Elyon.

* * *

Awful chapter I know...and a terribly long wait for it! I'm so sorry guys. Reviews are loved though!:D I'm getting back into the swing of ROL and there will lots more posted towards Christmas! I PROMISE. xxxxxxx


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